What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Big Switch (1968)

Pete Walker's earlier gangster effort see's playboy / hard dude, John Carter (sadly not from Mars) lose his job, get framed for a girls murder and then get blackmailed by the London mob to travel to Brighton to do a 'job' for them.

The Big Switch aka Strip Poker is i feel a more focused effort from Walker than Man of Violence. Be it more focused on sex and violence but hey, whatever! Although it keeps the glitzy yet seedy London club locations it really switches gear when Carter (Sebastian Breaks) travels to Brighton with mob 'dollybird' Karen (Virginia Wetherell). The Brighton pier locations in winter are cold and decidedly bleak, the out of season arcades reminding me of Carnival of Souls rather than any sort of classy tourist locale, and it all culminates in a shoot out in a penny arcade.

The Big Switch is a film full of violence and nudity and deserves more of an audience than it currently has, an audience which probably wear long cream mac coats when they visit movies.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

I saw this on Friday and, like you, thought it was superb. It's quite possibly the best film I've seen this year and, following the wonderful A Single Man, cements Tom Ford as someone with a brilliant cinematic eye. It's clear almost every frame has been painstakingly composed and designed to within an inch of its life, but that doesn't detract from the compelling narrative and powerful performances from everyone involved. I found some of it very tough to watch, but that is necessary for the ending to mean something and be contextually necessary.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

From Derek Cianfrance, the man who directed Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, two films I rate very highly, and based on the novel of the same name by M. L. Stedman, this tells the story of Tom Sherborne, a World War I veteran who, in November 1919, is hired to be the lightkeeper at Janus Rock, a small and desolate island off the coast of Western Australia, which only has one feature: a lighthouse. Sherborne is haunted by the four years he spent on the Western front and therefore isn't fazed by the thought of spending so much time alone and the isolation drove his predecessor to an institution. Before setting off for the first time, he catches the eye of Isabel, a local girl, whose brothers died in the 'Great War'.

After some time, they fall in love and marry, enabling Isabel to move to the island with Tom and they try, unsuccessfully, for a family. One day, Tom notices a rowboat floating close to the island and, running out of it, finds it containing a man, long dead, and a crying baby. Isabel has recently miscarried and convinces her husband not to the report the incident, but to bury the body and raise the girl as their own. This proves to be a moral and ethical problem for Tom, but he agrees and things go well until they are on the mainland for Isabel's christening and he notices a woman in the graveyard in front of a headstone, showing her husband and daughter were lost at sea and presumed dead when Tom and Isabel found the rowboat, and is disturbed by the knowledge and the fact he is raising someone else's daughter, someone pining for her lost child.

In the main roles, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are both compelling, really driving the moral and ethical issues within the story, and the period design, music, and cinematography are all top notch. Sadly, the film is sometimes bogged down in over-sentimentality and becomes a little sluggish when the pace should really pick up. It is a great story and one which is interesting because there are several 'what would you do?' situations which lead to discussion after the film, but the pacing was a problem and it was probably 15 minutes too long. It is well worth seeing if you are a frequent visitor to a cinema, but there are better films currently showing which should take priority.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

Sounds awful to me. Sorry. The story really doesn't appeal. Good review though.

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

I was considering this but I had a feeling it was in the vein of all of those Nicholas Sparks adaptations so I avoided it, but it sounds quite dark actually. I might go and see this over the next couple of weeks, either this or The Accountant

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

I was considering this but I had a feeling it was in the vein of all of those Nicholas Sparks adaptations so I avoided it, but it sounds quite dark actually. I might go and see this over the next couple of weeks, either this or The Accountant

The Accountant hasn't had wonderful reviews. I quite fancy it though.

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The Accountant hasn't had wonderful reviews. I quite fancy it though.

I've always liked Ben Affleck so I'm happy to go and see him in a 'Leave your brain at home' action movie. It looks quite fun. Anna Kendrick is a bonus too.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

I was considering this but I had a feeling it was in the vein of all of those Nicholas Sparks adaptations so I avoided it, but it sounds quite dark actually. I might go and see this over the next couple of weeks, either this or The Accountant

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The Accountant hasn't had wonderful reviews. I quite fancy it though.

All being well, I'm going to see The Accountant tomorrow morning, so I've avoided reviews and will watch it with an open mind. I'll do my best to post my thoughts on here at some point tomorrow.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Cherry Tree (2015)

Irish/Dutch horror from the director and makers of Hammer's Wake Wood. It's a story of a high school girl who learns her father is dying and is approached by her new hockey coach (Anna Walton) who might have a way to save him.

The film then delves into ancient witchcraft territory as a coven of witches headed by Walton are practicing the dark arts in an underground cavern below the roots of an ancient cherry tree.

Although it ventures on grounds also tread by the aforementioned Wake Wood (2009) it also goes down the Rosemary's Baby (1968) route. It is however a more gruesome proposition than both those films. Cherry Tree doesn't skimp on the gore nor on the satanic orgy aspect. People with an aversion to insects, centipede's in particular, should steer clear as the large creepy crawlies venture into human orifices on several disgusting occasions.

Cherry Tree delivers chills and stomach churning horror but also plays a bit clumsy too. Something isn't quite right, it's not really as scary as it should be but i can't put my finger on why. It's slick and well made with decent acting, perhaps this is why, it's not quite the grotty horror you'd hope for. Having said that it's a film i'd go back to before any of the supernatural studio films pretending to be horror, doing the rounds at the moment, i did enjoy it and i do recommend it.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Cherry Tree (2015)

It is fortunately available on Amazon Instant Video, so I'll try and remember the title when I am thinking of something to watch during the week.