What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[keirarts]

The Burbs

FINALLY!

One of the best comedies of the 80's, The Burbs stars a soon to be famous Tom Hanks alongside Corey Feldman and the ever brilliant Bruce Dern, whose suspicions about a new creepy family who have moved into a local house rapidly morph into outrageous almost stalkerish levels of obsession as they attempt to uncover the familys secrets.

Joe Dante really makes the most of the material and the film is a genuinely funny, original and entertaining film thats been a favorite of mine for a long, long while. Arrow have really done the material justice and the package was well worth the wait. The James White restoration looks stunning, the documentary is entertaining and the inclusion of the workprint is a nice added bonus.

Very happy with this release!

[Handyman Joe]

Had to abbreviate my last post, this brings me up to date-

Act of Violence - A stunner of a noir from Fred Zinnerman. Post war angst was a bedrock of the genre post 45 and it was never more foregrounded than here as remorseless, shuffling Robert Ryan (most underrated noir fixture?) seeks revenge on community beacon Van Heflin (also brilliant) who betrayed him at a POW camp. At the core of the film - can a man be branded good or evil on the strength of one act, one decision? The moral back and forth never drags the gripping action. This movie proves some issues or at least the artistic treatment of them, never date. Essential.

The Blue Dahlia - Not bad, not brilliant, which considering it came from Raymond Chandlers pen is a little disappointing. I had a similar problem with The Big Sleep - too much plot, not enough trash. The best noirs are a blend of the two - here only William Bendiix's shell shocked vet, the odious 'house peeper' and the movies nastiest ever wife provide the requisite fun, the mechanics of the story tend to clunk a bit and I guessed the conclusion 10 minutes in.

Silver Lode - A lot of familiar noir faces also pop up with Stetsons on in Westerns. Same dilemmas, different chaps. Two of my favourites here playing to type - hard ass John Payne and lanky weasel Dan Dureya. Lots of fun this one with a serious anti blacklist message about the dangers of a mob mentality.

The Naked Spur - and another! A Jimmy Stewart/Anthony Mann effort with Janet Leigh and (again) a scene stealing Robert Ryan. This meanders a little but builds to a surprisingly vicious, then redemptive last 10 mins.

Kansas City Confidential - largely great heist gone wrong noir undermined by one too many plot contrivances (beautiful young trainee lawyer falls in love with craggy ole John Payne within two days and she just happens to be the daughter of Mr Big!). I'm being picky, this is great entertainment with the best team of hoods outside The Killers - Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand. I got this movie, on blu, for 3 euros while on holiday in Spain (under the title Cuatro Hombres) - looks amazing too.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Daughters of Satan (1972)

A pre-Magnum PI Tom Selleck stars alongside his moustache in this Philippines based occult thriller that comes across a little like an episode of The Night Gallery.

Selleck buys a painting of witches being burned at the stake, after noticing that the central witch bears more than a little resemblance to his wife. Initially a little creeped out by the painting, his wife begins to become possessed by the witch within, acquaints herself with a rottweiler, and gets involved with a pack of modern-day reincarnated witches who begin to plot her husband's murder.

Despite being a little silly and light on the thrills, Daughters of Satan has an unmistakable charm to it and is a mildly entertaining use of 90 minutes.

Originally posted here: Nightmare USA Films Discussion Thread

[Rondadoronron]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Daughters of Satan (1972)

A pre-Magnum PI Tom Selleck stars alongside his moustache in this Philippines based occult thriller that comes across a little like an episode of The Night Gallery.

Selleck buys a painting of witches being burned at the stake, after noticing that the central witch bears more than a little resemblance to his wife. Initially a little creeped out by the painting, his wife begins to become possessed by the witch within, acquaints herself with a rottweiler, and gets involved with a pack of modern-day reincarnated witches who begin to plot her husband's murder.

Despite being a little silly and light on the thrills, Daughters of Satan has an unmistakable charm to it and is a mildly entertaining use of 90 minutes.

Originally posted here: Nightmare USA Films Discussion Thread

SHOCK! HORROR! We found a film B.E likes ........

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Rondadoronron

SHOCK! HORROR! We found a film B.E likes ........

There have been a few, but admittedly most have been a little lacking so far... still better than the films of that Adamson bloke though

[Rondadoronron]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

There have been a few, but admittedly most have been a little lacking so far... still better than the films of that Adamson bloke though

meow..... 2014 will be known as Adamson wars,only the brainless will survive.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Rondadoronron

meow..... 2014 will be known as Adamson wars,only the brainless will survive.

[BAKA]

Curious to know if anyone has seen All Hallow's Eve (2013). Someone mentioned on a podcast they enjoyed it, and as a fan of anthology films, particularly those of the horror variety, I'm tempted to check it out. I love the premise, it's very old school. A babysitter taking two kids trick or treating, finds a VHS tape inside their treat bags. I do however often find myself burned many a time on modern low budget direct to DVD horror films. Released in time for my October marathon of Horror and Halloween related films too.

Speaking of modern genre efforts though, I wasn't disappointed with The Guest. A very interesting schizophrenic execution, crossing genres like an exploitation film from the 70's. Shades of Carpenter in spades. I’m guessing by the fact there seems to be very little buzz about it, that it’s been released in the UK prior to the US. Well worth checking out before it vanishes from the cinemas, which it likely already is. Loved the couple of nods to You're Next too.

[Buboven]

I watched was Peter Walker's Punishment Park (1971) tonight.

Some great quotes in there

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the tribunal, I would like to read you something: "The streets of our country are in turmoil. The universities are filled with students rebelling and rioting. Communists are seeking to destroy our country. Russia is threatening us with her might and the republic is in danger. Yes, danger from within and without. We need law and order or our nation cannot survive". We might all be forgiven for supposing those to be the words of our President. But they are not. Those words were uttered in 1932 by Adolf Hitler"

or my favourite (and one which very much applies today when it seems every institution in our capitalist western world is criminal in some form or another)

"At another time, the honorable thing or the right thing to do might be to be a policeman or to be President. Right now, I think the honorable thing to do is to be a criminal"

[SShaw]

Another trip to Oldenburg this time to see Philippe Mora's Mad dog Morgan (which I think I have on blu-ray somewhere). Mora, who is the subject of a career retrospective, was on hand to introduce the film with anecdotes about Hoppers drug and alcohol fuelled antics.

But the highlight was The Lost Soul, Severin Films documentary about Richard Stanley's attempt to film The Island of Dr Moreaux. The Q&A featured contributions from the director, editor and actor Marco Hoffschneider. but to make it especially cool Stanley himself was also present and gave his initial thoughts on the film which he had also just seen for the first time.

Hamburg tomorrow for a week and 27 planned visits to Fantasy Film Fest