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  #32931  
Old 21st June 2015, 07:57 PM
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Three great ones this weekend

Patterns (1954) - Another for the 'why the hell have I never heard of this' file. Three incredible lead male performances, two solid female supporting ones (actresses escape me, apologies ladies!) - a loyal secretary and a Lady Macbeth 50s housewife. Written by the great Rod Serling - not an ounce of flab in 87 mins. Van Heflin is the new guy in a huge corp, Ed Begley Jnr is the sad sack he's (unknowingly) come to replace. Everett Sloane is the utter barsteward CEO who runs the show - his bollockings are incredible to behold - yet even he is no lazy caricature - we get tantalising glimpses of a human being. Just a riveting film this with no easy answers or pat resolutions.

Night Editor (1946) - A tale bookended (and told) by bored sweltering hacks - it's appropriately lurid and nightmarish. Jains Carter twirls a metaphorical moustache as an OTT rich bitch, William Gargin is OK as the doomed cop who lets a murder slide on her command. Great array of supporting colour, especially Odell the rubber faced Sergeant who smells a rat. This is a really short one with a peculiar ending, like a slug of neat scotch that leaves you feeling a bit disorientated.

Pushover (1956)- A bit of a mash-up - Part Double Indemnity 2.0 with Fred MacMurray (a cop this time) again falling for the wrong blonde, part Hitchcock - Pre Vertigo Kim Novak (said blonde) and strong Rear Window connections. Great nocturnal feel - sunlight barely puts in an appearance - nicely claustrophobic, but there's a lack of spark between the leads and the repetitive nature of the apartment bound investigation, gets a bit wearying. Rouses itself though for a cracking shoot out and, overall, recommend.
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  #32932  
Old 21st June 2015, 09:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nosferatu42 View Post
Yep i seen it, it's slow moving and arty, but has good performances,nice atmosphere and really nice cinematography.
Has a good soundtrack too and the central female vampire is quite cute.
I really liked it, but don't expect much gore.
Recommended.
I really liked it too for all the reasons you stated yourself. It gets a 9/10 from me. Definitely recommended.

I only saw it for free as I ranked up enough points as a Chapter card member to watch a film for free, so to say it was a bargain is a bit of an understatement.

Also going to watch the Cannon doc Electric Bugaloo at the Chapter on Thursday, so can't wait for that!
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  #32933  
Old 21st June 2015, 10:10 PM
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Passenger 57 Security expert Wesley Snipes just happens to be on board when a terrorist (a hammy as hell Bruce Payne) takes over the plane in an attempt to escape federal custody. Incredibly dumb but incredibly fun early 90s actioner.
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  #32934  
Old 21st June 2015, 10:40 PM
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Extraterrestrial (2014)

For the most part nothing really stands out in this decent but not particularly spectacular effort from The Vicious Brothers.

Friends travelling to Hicksville USA to stay at a deceased relatives cabin in the woods. Naturally friends bicker, shout and generally become annoying, especially after discovering Michael Ironside's pot farm, then halfway through something big crashes in the forest and they are suddenly terrorized by aliens.

Where the film succeeds is in the budgetary department. The visuals look great. The aliens (Roswell types) look impressive as does their ship. There's no shaky cam, stare at the ground for half the film, style footage, we see everything making it a refreshing change from other recent alien movies.

It's still a bit ho-hum, seen it all before though....until the last ten minutes .

Really taking me by surprise,the Vicious Brothers take us inside the alien craft. The film turns extremely creepy, grim, disturbing and quite gloopy. Guts are spilled, recesses are probed (yes...even that one) and edges of the seat are gripped.

I can't really recommend Extraterrestrial as the first 40 minutes are so depressingly average but it does improve and the finale almost makes up for everything that's gone before it.
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  #32935  
Old 21st June 2015, 11:54 PM
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If there is one film that truly deserves the term 'video nasty' it is Entourage.
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  #32936  
Old 22nd June 2015, 07:11 AM
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Lords of Salem.

Watched this again. Perhaps too early as its more a midnight movie. A noble failure from Rob Zombie that he 'saved' in editing, this is still a decent mood piece and when things start really going off the rails in the last third it actually becomes quite good. Zombie certainly knows how to frame a shot and deliver some great imagery, its a shame he hasn't nailed the structure with this one.

It! Terror beyond space.

Aside from Planet of the vampires this is one of the other major influences on Ridley Scott's Alien. A rescue team pick up an astronaut stranded on Mars, convinced he has killed the rest of his crew. However as the voyage continues they discover an alien creature has stowed away and has begun killing off the crew. Solidly made 50's B movie with a decent level of tension. Hard science buffs may cringe at stuff like the crew discharging firearms in what is essentially a large metal box, but its entertainingly daft and looks great on Blu-ray.


X: The man with the x-ray eyes.

Moving into early 60's sci-fi/horror this one is somewhat more profound as an obsessive scientist named Xavier (played by Ray Milland) discovers a drug that can sharpen his eyesight to see everything. As a result he loses everything else to the point of wandering the desert with profound spiritual revelations.
Well crafted stuff from Corman this was originally meant to be about a Jazz musician who experiences this through experimentation with drugs, however Corman worried about censor issues so made it about a mad scientist instead. The drugs parallels are pretty clear and ironic given this was the start of the 60's and in a few years we would be getting films like Easy rider, The trip and.....

Pysch-out.

Made 1968 as the hippie movement was overripe and about to burst, this far out exploitation picture from AIP and Dick Clark has Susan Strasberg playing a deaf innocent looking for her brother (played by Bruce Dern looking like a wrecked Christ) in the centre of the Hippie movement in Haight-Ashbury. There she encounters a group of musicians led by Jack Nicholson who help her navigate the scene in order to find her brother. Along the way they get help from Dean stockwell who looks astonishingly high.

What first appears to be a love letter to the Hippie movement grows increasingly and alarmingly like a warning of what is to come as the film gradually seems to morph into a very bad trip. Given that its not long before Manson and Altermont then this might be the high watermark Hunter S Thompson discussed in Fear and loathing in las vegas. Certainly the night time street scenes seem to have an uncomfortable sense of Danger and Strasberg's innocent abroad begins to get more alarmed by what she sees.

The film is still a product of its time and anyone's enjoyment will really depend on whether they can hack any of the 'far out grooviness' and psychedelia on display. As a time capsual for a place not that far off but seemingly a million miles away however, its worth a watch.
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  #32937  
Old 22nd June 2015, 07:13 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop View Post
Yeah, sorry about that one. Does that make you HG Lewis, though? If so, thanks for all the great films and sorry once again for the adultery, I do get murdered with a trowel after a water hose enema at some point in the third reel of one of those Vinegar Syndrome rereleases no-ones really watched.
Will have to re-watch them!
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  #32938  
Old 22nd June 2015, 11:03 AM
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I watched the first 3 hours of the Hellraiser doc last night.
It's up there with Never Sleep Again and Crystal Lake Memories IMO, loads of fascinating interviews with plenty of the cast and crew from the first 2 films, only exception is Barker himself, who had to pull out because of illness.
Highly recommended, and I've nowhere near finished it yet seeing as it's over 700 long across 3 discs!
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  #32939  
Old 22nd June 2015, 03:39 PM
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Kidnapped (2010)

A brutal home invasion film about a wealthy family in Madrid whose home is broken into by three vicious thugs.

What starts as a simple robbery turns very ugly with brutal scenes of rape and violence with suspense and tension from the off. It's great to see a film of this type where the perpetrators aren't rampaging teen thugs but calculating criminals as it definitely adds unpredictability to proceedings.

Once the invasion takes place the film's pace is unrelenting and uncompromising culminating in a final ten minutes that hits home hard and certainly took me by surprise.

Stylishly directed and well acted, Kidnapped is definitely recommended.
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  #32940  
Old 22nd June 2015, 04:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
Kidnapped (2010)

A brutal home invasion film about a wealthy family in Madrid whose home is broken into by three vicious thugs.

What starts as a simple robbery turns very ugly with brutal scenes of rape and violence with suspense and tension from the off. It's great to see a film of this type where the perpetrators aren't rampaging teen thugs but calculating criminals as it definitely adds unpredictability to proceedings.

Once the invasion takes place the film's pace is unrelenting and uncompromising culminating in a final ten minutes that hits home hard and certainly took me by surprise.

Stylishly directed and well acted, Kidnapped is definitely recommended.
Any signs of a UK release? I saw this one several years ago at manchester Grimmfest. It is an excellent and hard hitting film and I've been wanting to get a copy.
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