What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[monkeyscreams]

Originally Posted by SShaw

I will be watching Profundo Rosso in London on Saturday night with a live score accompaniment from Mr Simonetti's Goblin

Oh that sounds good! By the way I am visiting London (with my son) 27/2 - 1/3. Do any of you have film related recommendations, places to visit? One thing I am considering is Aguirre, Wrath of God on the 28th at BFI Soutbank.
Thanks!

[PaulD]

Originally Posted by SShaw

I will be watching Profundo Rosso in London on Saturday night with a live score accompaniment from Mr Simonetti's Goblin

Same here! Saw them do the same thing with Suspiria a while back which was fantastic. I love Profondo Ross even more so cannot wait for this

[Rik]

So jealous, I'm spending all weekend recording an Arctic Monkeys wannabe band from Bradford, know what I'd rather be doing

[shel]

Originally Posted by Rik

So jealous, I'm spending all weekend recording an Arctic Monkeys wannabe band from Bradford, know what I'd rather be doing

Burn. I hope they don't frequent this thread

[Demoncrat]

To all the jammy swines who are going to see Deep Red




Me green with envy

[antmumford]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

CHINESE ZODIAC. Jackie Chan's last feature doing stunt work is sadly a bit of a mess with an overly complicated plot and too few set pieces that rise above the average. Still, Chan is as likeable as ever and it passes the time away.

I agree, the majority of it is just a little bit silly (to put politely) but there is a fantastic fight/stunt/action sequence that saves the day near the end of the movie and to be honest it's worth sitting through the film just to watch the awesomeness ensue. That scene felt like a true JC film!

[tele1962]

Invasion DVD (1965).

What a little gem of a Si-Fi film from 1965. Very highly recommended.

[Sam]

Just finished Cat and Mouse, which I really enjoyed. A well-paced and taut thriller, which is surprisingly visceral and violent in parts, the film centres around a downtrodden biology teacher whose wife has left and humiliated him. This turn of events throws him into a mental tailspin, turning him into a homicidal maniac in the process! Kirk Douglas is immense in this, successfully evoking feelings of sympathy and pity at the beginning of the film, which is never really lost despite some of his abhorrent actions later on. There are also some genuinely nail-biting sequences, not least the ending which is reminiscent of a seminal horror made in the same year (I won't name it just in case this would be a spoiler), so much so that I wonder whether this is simply a coincidence??!

In any case, I would whole-heartedly recommend this, especially since it can be picked up for peanuts at present in the Network sale.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Sam

Just finished Cat and Mouse, which I really enjoyed. A well-paced and taut thriller, which is surprisingly visceral and violent in parts, the film centres around a downtrodden biology teacher whose wife has left and humiliated him. This turn of events throws him into a mental tailspin, turning him into a homicidal maniac in the process! Kirk Douglas is immense in this, successfully evoking feelings of sympathy and pity at the beginning of the film, which is never really lost despite some of his abhorrent actions later on. There are also some genuinely nail-biting sequences, not least the ending which is reminiscent of a seminal horror made in the same year (I won't name it just in case this would be a spoiler), so much so that I wonder whether this is simply a coincidence??!

In any case, I would whole-heartedly recommend this, especially since it can be picked up for peanuts at present in the Network sale.

Noted. Thanks for the review Sam.

I'll have a look for this tomorrow.

[Prince_Vajda]

Doomsday (2008). * ½
Directed by Neil Marshall. Starring Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Adrian Lester, Alexander Siddig, David O'Hara, Malcolm McDowell.



According to the reverse of the French Blu-ray, this is a mixture of 28 Days Later, Mad Max, and Resident Evil. This sounded promising (although I heavily dislike 28 Days Later and never understood all the praise for Danny Boyle’s oeuvre). Doomsday is set in Scotland (both in 2008 and 2035), features Rhona Mitra as our heroine, and has quite a few good supporting actors (including Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell). When “The Reaper Virus” infects the population of Scotland, the country is quarantined as a whole and left for dead. Many years later, the virus turns up again – this time in London. Politicians decide to send Major Eden Sinclair (Mitra) to Scotland in order to contact Marcus Kane (McDowell), who may have found a cure for the disease.

Similar plots can be found in several other films, but the standard Survival Horror story is not the reason why this movie fails. I’ll pick three aspects that made me dislike the film. Firstly, the movie borrows from almost every apocalyptic Action and Horror movie made – not only the three mentioned before. The basic plot resembles Escape From New York, the ‘medieval’ scenes look as unrealistic and cheap as those in Excalibur. Quoting other films is no crime, and it has been done before. Doomsday, however, is totally generic. There’s no reflection of the poorly cited predecessors. Apart from a few one-liners, the movie takes itself way too seriously. Secondly, there’s no telling what the film (or the director – see aspect three) wants. There’s not enough Horror for an apocalyptic film, and too much Action for a scary movie. There’s too much violence in it to make it popcorn entertainment, and too much unintentional humour to make it a serious movie. Finally, the direction is poor. At 113 minutes, the film is at least 20 minutes too long. Partly because this is a typical example of style over substance, partly because I never really cared about any of the characters.

Why not the lowest rating available then? Three reasons that justify half a star: Hoskins’ character is pretty believable, Mitra in spandex pants looks alright - and Punk Scots dancing the Cancan are always a plus in my book.