What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by keirarts

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Lex Luthor gets Batman and Superman to fight.




Yep.



In all honesty I've seen superheroes fight for some really, really dumb reasons so its not that which bothered me. Nope, it was that it took two and a half hours to get there with some really shitty dialogue and a mid section as bloated as mine (office work takes its toil )
I do think some of the critics have been unduly harsh. Ben Affleck is probably the best Batman so far and the character straddles the comic book bats and the deathly serious nolan bats quite well. Jeremy Irons is also fantastic as Alfred. Gal Godot is great as wonder woman (at least with what she's given) and I'm really glad were getting a WW film directed by Patty Jenkins. Caville gets some stick but I really rate him as superman. He actually does a great job here, especially since the view of him here is from the human perspective making him seem more alien and distant.
The real issue is David S Goyer who cannot write for shit, and Snyder who really needed to reign in Jesse Eisenberg whose potrayal of Luthor veers from seething psychopath to jittery nut-job without any clear explanation. His entire distaste for superman is underwritten. If your a comic fan you should get it, but then the film-makers really should at least consider the people who aren't. Apparently Gotham and Metropolis are right next door to each other, at least I hope so as the whole final act loses track of where it is in a raging light-show. This is the main problem, it spends so much time and effort trying to make a basic premise seem grand, sinister and Machiavellian it essentially bogs the film down to an unhealthy degree.
Overall not terrible and nothing a change of writer and director couldn't fix. I really hope the cast don't land any of the blame.

Yes yes and yes.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I don't mind Snyder. I really liked 300 and Watchmen, and thought Dawn of the Dead was a very good remake of an average film.

I also enjoyed Sucker Punch but i know i'm alone in that.

Dawn of the Dead is a superior remake of a good film. Suckerpunch is proper toss.

[Frankie Teardrop]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

That's another off the list i posted a few weeks ago that i need to pick up.

You seem to be hitting the same list...or perhaps we just have similar ideas of what sounds good in today's dtv market.

Oh yeah, i thought Livide was excellent by the way.

Similar idea perhaps, but that's partly because the more obviously essential DTV pickups are pretty scant of number and well publicised- I've had 'Among The Living' on my radar since last year. The rest make up the barren, oceanic waste that you and I (and a few other prominent labbers) are used to trawling.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I don't mind Snyder. I really liked 300 and Watchmen, and thought Dawn of the Dead was a very good remake of an average film.

I also enjoyed Sucker Punch but i know i'm alone in that.

I think Snyder is good with a decent script. Dawn was written by james gunn, 300 from a frank miller graphic novel before frank miller dissappeared up his own racist ass. Watchmen basically used the graphic novel as storyboards. I suppose sucker punch at least tries to deal with agency and the male gaze but fails to really gel. Probably my favourite thing in bvs was the symbolism of the spear, tying the film into classical mythology of man vs god.

[iank]

Sitting Target. Oliver Reed is a violent criminal who breaks out of jail when his wife tells him that not only is she divorcing him, but she's also already pregnant with another man's child, and he's only got one thing on his mind - bloody revenge. Ian McShane and Edward Woodward co-star in this early 70s British thriller that started well but began to meander and ultimately made me rather lose interest. Disappointing.

[Sam]

Red, White & Blue - Really enjoyed this. Tells the tale of 3 individuals at the fringes of society and who are all fighting their own personal battles ... Erica is sleeping around to forget/avenge a terrible secret in her past, Nate is a veteran of the Iraq war with a violent and obsessive streak and Franki is an ambitious rocker who is nursing his sick mother. During the course of the film, the worlds of these 3 characters are set on a collision course with tragic and violent consequences.

What I liked about this is that, whilst the characters weren't particularly likeable, they were entirely believable and although the violence was visceral and extreme, it was in keeping with the makeup if the characters and the plot. This is also helped by strong performances from the central cast and a slow, brooding build-up to the unforgettable climax. A difficult watch but a rewarding one!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Hansel and Gretel get Baked (2013)

'Don't touch my gingerbread house'

A couple of stoner youths, the unfortunately named Hansel and Gretel, finally discover who produces the almost mythical Black Forest cake. An harmless old woman who lives down the road and grows weed in her basement. Determined to score some, they pay the old woman a visit.

Grimm Tales as the film is titled in the UK is an oddball tale that doesn't take itself seriously. It's well made and reasonably well acted by the younger stars as well as Yancy Butler and Cary Elwes in a cameo. However it's Lara Flynn Boyle's film. I like Lara, she's bonkers, she was in the series Las Vegas (check out her demise) and she is in this. She plays the old woman who might well be a witch. Well, no, she is a witch who eats her victims cooked or raw, it doesn't really matter. Why? Well she's getting on a bit and her looks have gone, discovering human flesh is a way of replenishing herself she kidnaps and eats all the dopers who call round looking for that glorious Black Forest high.

The film is a bit of fun but i suspect you have to be in the mood for it. It's very gory in places as Boyle has no problem sticking forks in eye sockets and removing the eyeball for a tasty treat. At 85 mins it doesn't stick around too long and in truth it isn't as funny as it wants to be and plays better as a straight up horror.

Not for all, but fans of Evil Bong, Gingerdead Man and Charlie Band's general schlocky output should enjoy it.

[tele1962]

The Witch Who Came In From The Sea.

Finally got to grips with this last night and boy I am pleased I did.......but mind you I will admit was ready to give up after half an hour, stuck with it though and was rewarded with what I thought was a great film.

[keirarts]

The world of Kanako

The central plot of the film is about a washed up ex-cop with mental health issues searching for his estranged daughter. He discovers a web of drugs and teenage prostitution, worst of all he discovers his daughter is not the angel he imagined and may in fact be a monster.
World of Kanako is going to be a difficult prospect for a large portion of its audience. Essentially what starts out as a revenge thriller gradually becomes a descent into hell. There are few remotely likeable characters, pretty much everyone in it is badly screwed up in one way or another. Our main protagonist Akikazu, the worn down detective is a complete bastard and a rapist. The gradual revelations about his daughters life are genuinely messed up and factor in some of the most messed up plot-lines in the film as Kanako's thing seems to be the total corruption and destruction of innocence. The film itself feels deliberately fractured from the get-go with a frenetic cut-up style that switches gears from brutal stark reality, grind-house exploitation through to Japanese bubblegum J-pop. Throughout the film is a scabrous view of humanity as inherently corrupt and doomed and left me feeling somewhat shattered and bewildered by the end.
I have to say I think Kanako is one of the best films I've seen for a while and would certainly hit any of my ten best lists however I'm sure some will end up disagreeing with me.

Monster dog

After Kanako I felt a strong desire to watch something entertainingly naff. Given this one's directed by Claudio Fragrasso then it was a safe bet.
Alice cooper and his scooby gang head to his family home to make a music video for...reasons. They are pretty sure they are heading in the right direction as everything becomes fog shrouded and packs of stray dogs haunt the countryside killing locals. Worse still the family werewolf is loose and set to pass the curse to cooper.
Its a mess, however I knew what I was getting into and its an enjoyable mess. The new blu-ray looks awesome.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by keirarts

The world of Kanako

Monster dog

Both sound worthy of my time and attention – I'll see if they are available on Lovefilm to rent or stream.