What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I'm not sure if I've even seen the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street reboots/remake/reimaginings and, if I have, I can't remember a single thing about them.

Actually, I've just realised I did see the Friday the 13th film because, if memory serves, it involves one of the characters being taken (obviously) to a cabin in the woods to detox from her heroin addiction. Again, if memory serves, I remember being bored and annoyed by the faux-scuzzy nature, seemingly trying to recreate the genuine low-budget look and feel of Sam Raimi's original.

[Frankie Teardrop]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

Actually, I've just realised I did see the Friday the 13th film because, if memory serves, it involves one of the characters being taken (obviously) to a cabin in the woods to detox from her heroin addiction. Again, if memory serves, I remember being bored and annoyed by the faux-scuzzy nature, seemingly trying to recreate the genuine low-budget look and feel of Sam Raimi's original.

Erm, you mean 'Evil Dead'? I was going to give that one another go as part of my remakes marathon, but frankly felt utterly quashed by 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

These remakes are confusing, I thought the F13 remake felt more like the director's remake of TCM than the original F13!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

Erm, you mean 'Evil Dead'? I was going to give that one another go as part of my remakes marathon, but frankly felt utterly quashed by 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'.

Oh i wouldn't go there. I loathed Evil Dead. Having said that perhaps you should as i preferred the Nightmare remake to any of the original series barring New Nightmare which i can't remember a thing about.

I thought TCM was easily the best of the remakes. Although i do also like The Hills Have Eyes, House of Wax, House on Haunted Hill and My Bloody Valentine.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Devils (1971)

It's very easy to say i can add nothing new in what i say about a film as discussed and analyzed as Ken Russell's infamous 1971 film The Devils.

But you know i do have something to add -

It co-stars George Roper (Brian Murphy) as a mad physician. That's really all anyone needs to know to make The Devils required viewing.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Horns.

So, so fantasy/black comedy that struggles with the shift in tones between the two leaving the film very uneven. Daniel Radcliffe, is however very good throughout and makes the film very watchable.

[bdc]

Watched this at 7 am because I couldn't sleep...so-so docu on Eugene Roddenberry's exploration of his father's life/philosophies (and of course Star Trek).

Seems Gene's son was almost completely oblivious of the whole phenomenon and a bit estranged from his father...after his death it seems he gradually had a change of heart and wanted to get to know more about him.

[JoshuaKaitlyn]

1966: Part 3

Godzilla vs The Sea Monster - Hammer were doing it with Harryhausen's 'Stop Animation' (One Million Years B.C), while Toho were still using the tried and trusted 'Man in a rubber suit'. Featuring Mothra also, this picture pits Godzilla against a giant lobster called Ebirah. It has some charm to it although the comedy moments with the two titular monsters throwing boulders back and forth at each other has been used before in the franchise.

Ostre sledované vlaky (Closely Watched Trains) - Czechoslovakian 'New Wave'. A coming of age tale that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Picture (1967). Actually quite good, better than 1965's 'Obchod na korze (The Shop On Main Street)'.

The Brides of Fu Manchu - A couple of Christopher Lee movies next. In this one the oriental villian returns with a superweapon that he aims to use to destroy an important meeting. Its all so very 'Hammer-ish', not bad...if you can look past its flaws.

Dracula Prince of Darkness - The Count returns in this classic sequel to 1958's 'Dracula' however no Van Helsing...unless you 'count' (see what I did there?), the prologue.

Who's Afraid of Viginia Woolf - This is one of those pictures that is undoubtedly a classic and well deserved of all the awards it got...However for me this was just plain dull. The acting and dialogue is first rate I'll admit but its not a subject matter that that interests me. Its typical of the sort of film done in the 50's and 60's especially in the U.S. British cinema would call them 'kitchen sink' dramas and have Albert Finney reaching for a dirty glass from the sink but the American versions would have Liz Taylor reaching for a clean glass from the glass cabinet! Just too 'clean' and not enough grit!

A Man for all Seasons - Oscar and BAFTA winner. Historical drama about Thomas More. Has a whole host of British Stars including Yootha Joyce in a small role.

A Bullet for the General - Spaghetti western (?) set in the early part of the last century. Not too bad and stars Gian Maria Volonté who went up against Clint Eastwood in the two 'Dollars' movies.

Voyna i Mir - I was not looking forward to seeing this Russian subtitled 6h 43m epic from Sergei Bondarchuk. However it wasn't as much as a borefest as I feared it would be. Told in four parts this Russian 'War and Peace' does have some spectacular scenes, particulary the battles especially in the first and fourth parts. Although IMDB puts the release year as 1966 the four parts were released in the USSR over 66 and 67. In 1968 it went on to win the Academy award for best Foreign Picture.

Tarzan and the Valley of Gold - Tarzan returned after three years away but in the guise of Mike Henry who had replaced Jock Mahoney now considered to old to continue in the role in what Sy Weintraub had planned for the franchise. Weintraub wanted to transfer the jungle lord from the cinematic big screen to the much smaller one of TV. But whilst plans for the series were in development a few more cinema outings lay ahead. This one attempts to make Tarzan a more 'hipper' character, after a typical 60's flashy credit sequence we see Tarzan dressed in a suit arriving at a south American airport where he is picked by a chauffer who turns out to be a bad guy, (shades of James Bond in Dr No).

The Good the Bad and the Ugly - Leone's classic is right up there with the best Spaghetti westerns in cinema history. Morricone's score only adds to the film and is in itself iconic. "Blondie...you know what you are? Your a son of a ........"

The Bible: In The Beginning - The first part of a planned trilogy covering the entire old testament but the second and third parts were never made. An American / Italian production with a host stars including Richard Harris, Stephen Boyd, John Huston and George C Scott. Huston was also the director and elected to play the role of Noah after Alec Guiness became unavailable and Charlie Chaplin (!) turned it down. Its a bit overlong and although the earlier parts were ok I found myself getting bored when Scott's Abraham came along.

[bdc]

Bullet for the General is part of the spaghetti western subgenre called revolutionary westerns.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The Devils (1971)

It's very easy to say i can add nothing new in what i say about a film as discussed and analyzed as Ken Russell's infamous 1971 film The Devils.

But you know i do have something to add -

It co-stars George Roper (Brian Murphy) as a mad physician. That's really all anyone needs to know to make The Devils required viewing.

Blimey, it sounds like mine and Inspector Sticky Vicky Ron Rons' ideal date film!