What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

True
Have ye read Wonderland Ave?

Yeah, fantastic book. I love the part when Sugarman phones the police to report the theft of his record collection except the Doors and Iggy lps and he is questioning the thief's taste in music only for his friend to tell him he sold them for drug money that night. His first use of heroin is pretty funny too.

It is a great book people even if you have no interest in the LA music scene of the late 60s and 70s. It is a tinsel town Catcher in the Rye with a great soundtrack.

[Frankenhooker]

Had the house to myself this weekend, a fridge full of beer and the Merseyside Derby was a fantastic way to kick things off, I then watched the following in peace -

The Ninth Configuration - I love this film so much. Creepy, hilarious and at times incredibly moving. It's the best film Blatty has been involved in and I include The Exorcist in that. I catch something new every time and my appreciation just grows and grows.

Thief - I still consider this to be Michael Mann's best film, largely because of James Caan's powerful performance, he adds a real grittiness to the role. Brilliant.

Raising Cain - Third time I've watched this and I still don't like it, despite generally being a big Deal Palma fan. Lithgow is fantastic and is clearly having a ball, but there's just something about the film I find really off putting. I haven't watched the 'reconstruction' yet, hopefully I enjoy it more. Arrow's release looks stunning though.

Sent from my PLK-L01 using Tapatalk

[Inspector Abberline]

The Laughing Policeman (1973)

Although fondly remembered for his comedy roles most notable being alongside Jack Lemmon in Odd Couple etc, Walter Matthau made some rather gritty thrillers back in the mid and early 1970's Charley Varrick The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and a drunk in the film Earthquake.After a machine gun massacre on a bus leads to the death of an off-duty police detective. Matthau discovers it was his partner, and that the killings all lead back to an early unsolved murder case. What sets apart this film from the slew of cop thrillers that litter the 1970's cinema is that it pretty much sticks to a realistic police procedure movie rather than driving around the streets of San Francisco blasting people away with a magnum and crashing through innocent stacks of disregarded cardboard boxes. (although that is fun as well) Matthau is as always brilliant as the world-weary dogged cop and Bruce Dern is also his usual gangly laconic self as Matthau newly appointed partner.This has more in common with the recent spate of nordic noir than it does say of Kojak or Starsky and Hutch of its time The one thing that did spring to my mind was how closely a scene involving a SWAT team entering a house reminded me of Romero Dawn of the DeAD where his SWAT team first break into the apartments.

McQ (1974)
Big tough cop, played by big John Wayne (my god he had massive hands) who in no way resembles another big tough cop called Harry Callaghan is investigating the murder of his partner ( wait a minute this sounds awfully familiar???) who is seemingly blasted in the back with a shotgun for no apparent reason. Well McQ does what all loose cannon cops do he infuriates his captain is insolent to his superiors he drives his green Pontiac Firebird like he was Steve McQueen in Bullit, he beats up main bad guy and leaves him laying in the urinals and is generally very destructive and violent, and that does not include machine gunning water-filled trash cans either. Well, it's hard not to ba a loose cannon cop when your in the midst of corruption, drugs and holding a mac 10 machine gun.John Wayne lumbers through the film like Godzilla,only instead of stomping with his big size feet he just punches and shoots his way through any obstacles that may get in his way like due process or people's rights. Apparently, Wayne made this after regretting turning down Dirty Harry, so that's him and Frank Sinatra then.

Brannigan.(1975)
Chicago cop Brannigan who does things his way or not at all,is sent to London to extradite Ben Larkin (John Vernon) of course being a Chicago cop in England things do not go that smoothly, apart from the fact he does not wear a tie in the Garrick club and he persistently carries a gun around with him puts him at odds with Commander Swann (Richard Attenborough).Yes you guessed it John Wayne is a fish out of water cop,how the hell will he cope with our lousy hamburgers and not being able to shoot people on the spot like they does back home,well he copes quite well actually considering a hitman is out to blow his head off with a shotgun and then just to doubly make sure even blows up his toilet in case having no head was not an incumbrance. Like all American movies made in England in the 1970's,every ****ing landmark of London is crammed into the running time ,and just in case we forgot it was London lets have another red double decker bus pull into shot. Brannigan is if nothing else entertaining and another nostalgic look at jolly old London in the 70's, And beside's there cannot be that many films that have John Wayne throw Baldrick into the Thames.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Two John Wayne classics there, Inspector. Nice one.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Dead of Night (1977)

Disappointing anthology film from Dan Curtis in the Amicus vein. Sadly this tv movie is rather weak and it's stories on the whole fairly non-descript. The first story about a car and time travel could have influenced Back to the Future but it was all fairly dreary and after a fun opening petered out somewhat.

The second, No Such Thing as a Vampire, filmed on a studio backlot is a reasonable attempt at the Gothic starring Patrick Macnee and Horst Buchholz in a tale of vampirism and intrigue. It's all quite cleverly done with a macabre finale and the best of the three segments in my opinion.

The final story Bobby, about a grieving mother who will try anything to get her drowned son back is quite formulaic. It's reasonably atmospheric but it's nothing you won't have seen before.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

American Commando

This starts out as a condensed version of Death Wish as Chas Mitcham kills the street punk junkies who kill his son and rape his wife before switching to post 'Nam action as Chas and the boys blow shit up taking the war on drugs to the source in Asia. Good stuff.

The Ninja Avenger

A female ninja wishes to leave the criminal gang she is forced to work for...

Excellent trashy martial arts film with a great opening scene of cobras being milked of their venom which is then coated on a shit load of bladed weapons before the heroine launches an assassination from a giant kite with a crossbow. Recommended.

[mr 420]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

American Commando

This starts out as a condensed version of Death Wish as Chas Mitcham kills the street punk junkies who kill his son and rape his wife before switching to post 'Nam action as Chas and the boys blow shit up taking the war on drugs to the source in Asia. Good stuff.

The Ninja Avenger

A female ninja wishes to leave the criminal gang she is forced to work for...

Excellent trashy martial arts film with a great opening scene of cobras being milked of their venom which is then coated on a shit load of bladed weapons before the heroine launches an assassination from a giant kite with a crossbow. Recommended.

I don't think Ninja Avenger rings a bell. Cheers, J. I will have to keep an eye out for that.

[Demoncrat]

Inspector ... TLP is a stone cold classic.
MTDS ... Ninja Avenger SOLD



Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970, Joseph Sargent)

Could this film BE any more paranoid??
Well meaning boffin invents a "super computer" to help out. As this isnae a Disney flick ... things take a turn for the worse. Like The Satan Bug, this is cold war central. A period piece certainly .... but so is The Andromeda Strain.
Recommended ( and if yr in any way pc literate ...enjoy )

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by Frankenhooker

Had the house to myself this weekend, a fridge full of beer and the Merseyside Derby was a fantastic way to kick things off, I then watched the following in peace -

The Ninth Configuration - I love this film so much. Creepy, hilarious and at times incredibly moving. It's the best film Blatty has been involved in and I include The Exorcist in that. I catch something new every time and my appreciation just grows and grows.

Thief - I still consider this to be Michael Mann's best film, largely because of James Caan's powerful performance, he adds a real grittiness to the role. Brilliant.

Raising Cain - Third time I've watched this and I still don't like it, despite generally being a big Deal Palma fan. Lithgow is fantastic and is clearly having a ball, but there's just something about the film I find really off putting. I haven't watched the 'reconstruction' yet, hopefully I enjoy it more. Arrow's release looks stunning though.

Sent from my PLK-L01 using Tapatalk

9th Config is a joy to behold .... and I only have it on vhs
Thief is an amazing film.
Brian "I've never seen any Argento" de Palma. Yeah ...whatever

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by mr 420

I don't think Ninja Avenger rings a bell. Cheers, J. I will have to keep an eye out for that.

I watched it on Amazon Video. They have just whacked loads of martial arts films, Italian western and cop films on Prime over the last couple of weeks and everyone's favourite Bigfoot cock ripper is on there too!