What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by trebor8273

Hows exorcism was going to give it a watch.

Franco?
It's a twisted wee film ... this is Jessland really ... enter the void
Like Lorna or Sexy Sisters ... It's truly unique

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

Franco?
It's a twisted wee film ... this is Jessland really ... enter the void
Like Lorna or Sexy Sisters ... It's truly unique

I thought he meant Naschy.

[trebor8273]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

Franco?
It's a twisted wee film ... this is Jessland really ... enter the void
Like Lorna or Sexy Sisters ... It's truly unique

Yes.

[Demoncrat]

Yes ... to everything??

[Frankie Teardrop]

THE ENDLESS – ‘Resolution’ follow-up in which two brothers reconnect with the isolated cult they left years before – something weird simmers in the background, and, as with ‘Resolution’ (if I remember correctly), time-loops play a role. ‘The Endless’ does well with atmospherics, and most of the film is a slow-burn that charts steadily building paranoia as the brothers try to navigate the cloistered community they find themselves in… the sense of layers of reality shifting and peeling back is evoked really well, and has as much to do with the performances as anything else (the directors play the leads). There are hints of cosmic Lovecraftiana that never quite crystallise out before an ending that seems a bit rushed, but ‘The Endless’ is definitely a recommend.

THE LOST – Adaption of a Jack Ketchum novel, which follows a small-town psychopath as he boils up to a murder spree. Said murderer, Ray Pye, looks like a slightly gothy Ray Liotta and is a consummate slimeball – the film opens with him killing a couple of campers for the laugh. He gets away with that one, and the focus becomes the constant manipulation, exploitation and treachery that characterises his day-to-day life years after. He dips into a bit of vulnerability when he strikes up a relationship with a would-be femme-fatale, but a series of set-backs and humiliations puts him back on the track to violence in the hard-to-watch conclusion. Pretty excellent flick, and underexposed – I hadn’t heard of it till recently. A hazy, slightly dream-like vision of an anachronistic suburban hell, and worth tracking down for certain.

ISOLATION – I’ve seen ‘Isolation’ a couple of times over the years and have come to really like it. It’s a bit slight in a sense (ie plot, story, ideas are nothing new), but heavy on atmosphere and vibes. A lot of reviews pretty much sum it up as ‘Alien on an Irish farm’ – that’s accurate in more ways than one. An experiment in genetically enhanced livestock has gone wrong and the resulting mutant is on the loose, leaving down-on-his-luck farmer John Lynch and a couple of travellers to face the strange. Pretty basic as far as happenings go, but director Billy O’Brien conjures a really downbeat, bleak environment full of rusty dilapidation and incessant rain, one that’s as stygian as The Nostromo at the same time as it’s mundane. The film plays out in the same way – it has its share of action and monstrous bits, but these are secondary to the dour (in a good way) performances and the power of the setting. Excellent stuff and highly recommended.

DER POEL – One that I picked up after reading Dem’s recent review – hadn’t heard of it before, and quite liked the sound of it. It’s about two Dutch families and their slightly off-grid camping trip. The dominant dad of the group seems to want them all to pitch next to a pool in a forest that has a shadowy reputation. Small wonder when weird stuff starts going down – food rotting, fingers going septic – all connected with the mysterious pool and its increasingly supernatural-seeming properties. Eventually, we end up in a kind of cabin-fever type scenario with people going homicidal and attempts to escape leading back to their points of departure. ‘Der Poel’ is another slow-burn, and is great at building downbeat storm-clouds of menace. Although it indulges in some obvious genre tropes (misty ‘hallucination’ sequences, soundtrack manoeuvres such as ‘creepy’ whispering, sudden jolts) it actually manages to generate an atmosphere of unease, which is no easy thing. The horror pay-off is pretty nasty too in some ways. I’m never one for big explanations as to why things happen in movies like this, and ‘Der Poel’ wisely avoids making anything clear, although it might be a kind of playing out of a Kelpie / Dutch folkloric equivalent type scenario. I thought it was really good – another one to check out if you haven’t seen it.

[trebor8273]

Exorcism (Jess Franco )

Franco plays a excommunicated priest who tortures and kills those he believes are Satanists. Plenty of 70s bush on display but if you took out all the soft core sex the film would only be 40 minutes in length. 6/10

Now watching sicario

[MrBarlow]

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome 1985.

After being exiled Max wanders around the wasteland and helps a band of children escape Aunt Entity, a queen ruler of a gladiator fight dome.

The third instalment of the Mad Max, Mel Gibson reprises as the ex policeman vigilante/drifter, this one does start off a bit slow but does build up the pace. Tina Turner stars as the Aunt Entity. Unlike the previous movies, this does take the final part to a different take on the post apocalyptic way people together creating a sport for entertaining purposes. 7-8 out of 10.

[Paul Zombie]

Sleeper.

Woody allen is Miles monro a neurotic who runs a health food shop called The happy carrot in New york. he goes to hospital for a routine operation and wakes up 200 years later in a future that is a fashist dictatership. Reluctently he is forced to join up with the rebels into helping them over throw the goverment, with the help of Luna played by Diane keaten.

this is so funny and much better than Woody allens later films which although still made me laugh were to intellectual.
The humour is slap stick and with loads of Woody allens classic one liners like, when Luna goes it's hard to believe that you haven't had sex for 200 years.
and Woodys character replys, 204 if you count my marriage.

Stand out scenes include a giant chicken and vegetables, a massive instant pudding that Woody allen has to fight off while disguised as a robot, and the weird orb the orgasmatron which people in the future have sex with.

priceless comedy and i award 93.7 out of 100.

[Dave Boy]

aaawatch4.jpg
DON'T PANIC CHAPS (1959)

Hammer Films comedy set in WWII.
A small team of bumbling British soldiers are sent to an island to set up an observation post. The island has a handful of German soldiers living in an old monastery. They put their differences aside and decide to make the most of the deserted island. Then, a girl is shipwrecked on the island and tensions rise..

Slapstick style comedy. Very silly in places but harmless fun with the usual recognisable faces.

[Buboven]

Checked out William Castle's original 13 Ghosts (1960) since it is in the upcoming Indicator boxset.

6/10.

Not one of Castle's best but still good fun.