What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[nosferatu42]

Twin peaks you either get or you don't, no judgement on you but i love it, one of my favourite shows ever, i admit the finale felt understated at the time. But watching it in hindsight it feels perfect considering the show, not tying everything up in a neat bundle and reversing the good/evil roles. messing with normal practice.

The last shot of the series just leaves you thinking things can only get worse in the sleepy logging town,and the black lodge sequence is sublime.

Totally trippy T.V that pulls the rug from under you and distorts normal storytelling.

The film is Lynch breaking away from the constraints of T.V and making Twin Peaks his own personal space and fits in with his own personal style, to me it's darkness and despair reveals the undertones that the T.V series only hinted at and exposes the horror that is underpinning the whole series.

But hey that's just my onion on the subject.

[Frankenhooker]

I also love Twin Peaks, both the show and the film. As said, it isn't for everyone. I expect someone will be delighted to find the boxset in CEX, I know I would be if I didn't already own three different versions of it.

Can't wait for its return.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by nosferatu42

Twin peaks you either get or you don't, no judgement on you but i love it, one of my favourite shows ever, i admit the finale felt understated at the time. But watching it in hindsight it feels perfect considering the show, not tying everything up in a neat bundle and reversing the good/evil roles. messing with normal practice.

The last shot of the series just leaves you thinking things can only get worse in the sleepy logging town,and the black lodge sequence is sublime.

Totally trippy T.V that pulls the rug from under you and distorts normal storytelling.

The film is Lynch breaking away from the constraints of T.V and making Twin Peaks his own personal space and fits in with his own personal style, to me it's darkness and despair reveals the undertones that the T.V series only hinted at and exposes the horror that is underpinning the whole series.

But hey that's just my onion on the subject.

Sounds great. Only wish that was what I'd seen.

[Deadite]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Doomsday (2008)

Following an outbreak of the deadly Reaper virus in Scotland the country is walled off and it's inhabitants left to die. Decades later the virus returns to threaten London, so battle hardened Rhona Mitra is sent with a military team into the wilderness that is now Scotland to seek a cure.

Director Neil Marshall's third film is a hard as nails mix of Escape From New York, Mad Max 2, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and 28 Days Later.

Filmed on a much bigger budget than previous efforts Dog Soldiers (2002) and The Descent (2005), Doomsday is a rampaging post apocalyptic action / road movie, full of breathtaking stunts, gory horror and scene stealing performances from the likes of Bob Hoskins, Malcolm McDowell and David O'Hara as a politician whose as corrupt as they come. Mitra handles a tough role well and it's a shame her career never really took off to the level of superstardom she might have deserved.

Doomsday has it's critics that suggest the film is too derivative of the many post-ap films that came before it, but i see it more as a homage from a director who is a fan of the genre, and i love it.

Yeah, i quite like Doomsday, but IMO it's the weakest of his first 3 films. Which is to say, better than a lot of others! Stylistically, Doomsday actually reminds me a bit of Ghosts of Mars (which i don't think is that bad).

I'm a big fan of Christopher Smith too. Creep, Severance, Black Death and Triangle is some good shit.

[Frankie Teardrop]

MALATESTA'S CARNIVAL OF BLOOD – I first watched this in the aftermath of Thrower's 'Nightmare USA', when, like everybody else, I was inspired to track down a lot of obscure grindhouse titles I hadn't even heard of. Seeing it now, I'm surprised I haven't revisited it more over the years. Prior to the Arrow re-release I'd forgotten everything about it apart from Herve Villechaize's turn as some free associating hep cat, but I'm pleased to report that there are plenty of other splashes of outlandishness throughout this unique and colourful film. It starts out a bit like one of those post-HG Lewis flicks that used to be a Something Weird staple – wooden, badly edited but somehow intoxicating because of that lost seventies vibe. Here is an all American family, and they're working at a carnival. It's not really clear what they do, but they live in a caravan. It seems we're off-season, as there's not a great deal of carnival action going on, although there are quite a few interesting characters around – a fortune teller who looks like s(he) might hang out at The Factory, a smug and slightly sinister bald guy called Blood who runs the show, and Malatesta, the shadowy presumed mastermind behind all the weird stuff. I say 'weird stuff' because 'weird stuff' is essentially what 'Malatesta' becomes after the first few minutes, when what started out as a straight but creaky horror flick turns into a free wheeling dream narrative. The all American family flounder around in a landscape which increasingly looks like it was designed by foundation-year art students, a strange universe made of cardboard and bubble wrap where crowds of ghouls hang out in front of massive projections of slient films and hippies are randomly decapitated on big dipper rides. As Steven Thrower himself says in his introduction, it's really not about plot and story (although there is one, just – some square American's get cannibalised by a bunch of freaks), it's more an impressionistic flight of fractured imagery. Very much in the 'Nam era, post Manson vein that runs through early seventies grindhouse and gives some films of that era a shimmering, pot infused vibe of dissociation, and another flick which feels like it was made by a bunch of heads with surrealist ambitions who maybe wanted to turn a quick bit of cash – see also 'Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things', 'Death By Invitation', 'Warlock Moon', 'Messiah Of Evil', 'The Velvet Vampire' etc etc etc. Recommended if you like any of the above.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Excellent review as always, Frankie. I fell in love with Malatesta's grubby charm this year after wanting to watch it for years. I never dreamed it would get the kind of treatment that Arrow gave it.

[Frankie Teardrop]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Excellent review as always, Frankie. I fell in love with Malatesta's grubby charm this year after wanting to watch it for years. I never dreamed it would get the kind of treatment that Arrow gave it.

It's heartening (and a bit mad, in a good way) when those really freaky flicks, which are obscure even by most fan standards, get such plush releases. I hope that Arrow eventually does part 2 of the American Horror set.

[anythinggoes78]

31

A lot of people dont like or dont get Rob Zombie films, i enjoy them with Devils Rejects being IMO his best, 31 isnt his best but its still a decent brutal ride of a film, but if you dont like Rob Zombie movies stay away, i must also mention Doom Head what a great horror character, maybe he will get his own movie some day.

6.5/10

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

It's heartening (and a bit mad, in a good way) when those really freaky flicks, which are obscure even by most fan standards, get such plush releases. I hope that Arrow eventually does part 2 of the American Horror set.

They've hinted at another set for 2017, so here's hoping.

[fuzzymctiger]

All this talk of Twin Peaks, can't wait for the third season. Big fan of the movie and show, just ordered the blu ray set from Amazon for only £16 the other day, and also downloading the extended fancut of Fire Walk With Me which puts the 90 odd minutes of deleted scenes back in, which even on their own are quite an amazing watch.

As for what I've seen recently? Well I haven't done this in ****ing ages but I just finished a Civil Procedure essay and this is a nice change. So let's just see what I've seen more recently or the highlights of a bit further back.

Ex Machina - 9/10
This weeks viewing for Genre and the Moving Image under the subheading Sci Fi and the Post Human. Alex Garland's directorial debut shows the same level of intelligence and unique questioning on human nature and instincts as 28 Days Later and The Beach (the book, sadly Boyle's film doesn't quite convey this as much as the book), and makes for fascinating and beautiful viewing. Quite uncomfortable and unsettling throughout, you don't know who to like or who to trust. But sadly, for the large part, it is quite predictable, which is a disappointment. You call most twists and events, and you feel at times like you've seen bits and pieces of this done before in other places. Other than that, fantastic sci fi viewing with beautiful direction and fascinating writing.

Boy Meets Girl - 6/10
Was at a best friends place, and after a rewatch of Silent Hill, she decided it was time for "something gay" at the recommendation from her girlfriend. The movie starts and some may groan at the opening: what at first view appears to be an emo girl creating a suicide note/video through Amanda Todd-esque flash cards. We then move into the plot. From the natural lighting to the quite real feel of sets, this movie feels cheap and independent from the strart. The story follows a trans girl and her love with, well, it gets messy. Anyway, the movie starts of with great dialogue and feels like a nice change from the usual romance of movies, however this doesn't last long before it devolves into what is essentially every fan fiction romance in existence. Taken characters fall in love and kiss after only two brief meetings, there's drama, its all so painfully cliche. On top of this, you have these very graphic "the talk" like conversations dispersed throughout that function less as comedic relief, and more just extremely awkward and uncomfortable in their crude nature. What they're trying to do here is admirable, and I wanted so much to like it, but found myself so disappointed by bizarre character actions, dropped characters or plots, and the overall feel that this is less the product of a talented filmmaker and more a bored teenage girl translating a fanfiction into a "real" story 50 Shades style.

Silent Hill - 8/10
Oh yeah, about this. First time watching it since it first came out, still as creepy as ever, and one of the most visually impressive movies I've seen. However this time I realised not just how extremely long this movie is at just over two hours, but also how confusing this could be to someone with no prior knowledge of the games. Many elements of the plot are left until only the very end of the film, and even then, some just aren't even explained. That said, still love it, and it's way better than the turd of a sequel.

Blair Witch - 9/10
Could not wait for this, haven't been this excited for a movie in ages. Saw it opening day, and well, mixed signals. It falls into a Force Awakens situation where it feels almost like a remake at times, and the first 2/3 seem to fall into some quite bad cliches. Characters popping out of nowhere to accidentally scare friends. Bodies mysteriously dragged off screen after their demise. Some plot devices aren't consistent (a severely infected delirious girl who can barely walk manages to climb a tree several meters high with little trouble later). However, the ideas this film plays with and creates for the lore are fascinating and horrifying. And then we reach the house. Oh boy. Quite possibly the most terrifying 30 minutes of film I've seen. Pure dread and terror. I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't seen it, but it's intense, claustrophobic, and almost a bit revelatory for the franchise. I can understand the flack it cops for its first few acts, but honestly, like the original, its slowburn and shows its true colours right at the end. However, expectations also have to be changed considering what the original film is. The original films magic was that it could very easily be real. The location, everything that happens. This film favors the supernatural and the spooky a lot more throughout, and it works to its favor in the end. The very obvious location shift from Maryland to British Columbia is instantly noticeable however, in that the trees themselves are wildly different and this environment is much less flat and sparse like in the first film. Give it a shot, but lower your expectations.

Suicide Squad - 8/10
Ohhhhhhhhhh boy. This was terrible. It's like a fun terrible cheesy action movie. You can tell from the start its a mess. The editing is awful, holes everywhere, forced soundtrack, anemic plot that feels like the bare threads of something that once was, not to mention confusing. Cringe worthy writing. Cara Delevinge's performance as Enchantress sucks, and her CG body once she changes is distracting and disturbing. So why the high rating? Simple, its fun! It's like the shitty movies from latter decades we watch and laugh at and have a great time, delivered to us with a multi-million dollar budget and an amazing cast. The cast, as well, are a big draw. The performances for the most part are flawless. Jared Leto does an amazing job of the Joker once you get past the questionable costuming, whilst Will Smith and Margot Robbie give perfect performances. I'd argue Margot Robbie's absolutely perfect job of Harley Quinn is worth seeing the movie for. I really hope this gets an extended cut (without the shitty soundtrack) like BvS did, as it's clear there is a lot missing, especially of the Joker.

That's all I feel like for today, may do more tomorrow