What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[MrBarlow]

Dracula 2000. (2000).

A group of thievs break into a chamber expecting to find valuable paintings and steal a coffin releasing Dracula.

This is not the best Dracula film but it is watchable and has a different take of the Dracula tale. Christopher Plummer takes the role of Van Helsing who seeks the answer to destroy the Prince of Darkness. Johnny Lee Miller plays Simon his assistant at the Carfax museum and kept in the dark on what was stolen. Gerard Butler plays Dracula who is a bit wooden in his role. The plot does have its ways to show parts of the story and how Dracula turned his back on God, but seemed like the ending was very rushed and has a bit of humour added in.

[Nostalgic]

Leathal Weapon

THE buddy cop movie, no exceptions! Gibson, Glover & Donner's finest hour, and a perfect xmas movie.

Black Christmas (1974)
Lots of posts about this every year, a film that gets better each time I watch it. Solid script, perfect pacing & the low budget feel makes it seem more realistic, as does the fact that the cast look like real people, not 6-pack sporting boys & bikini body girls.
Gets my vote as best slasher (seasonal or other) any time.

[MrBarlow]

Murder By Death. 1976.

A group of literary detectives are invited to house to solve a murder that hasn't happened yet.

70s parody films that makes fun at notable detectives that still makes you laugh with every viewing and some comments that you can't say anymore. David Niven, Peter Sellers and Peter Falk play the reputable detectives with James Coco (seems to be the (noticeable) Belgium Poirot parody Penrice and Else Lanchester as our own Miss Marbles. In the dvd version there are some scenes missing which would introduce Sherlock Holmes to the party its still fun to watch.

[Dave Boy]

^ Yeah, good film. The Sherlock Holmes scene you mention, plus a few more were scenes cut for the theatrical version but were added back in to boost running time for the U.S television ABC network showing.
All the cut scenes are on youtube.

[iank]

Silent Night, Deadly Night. A young boy traumatised by Christmas-related events grows up to become a spree killer dressed as Santa Claus. I've heard of this mid 80s horror before, but not seen it until now. The first half is actually quite an intriguing and effective buildup, but the moment he snaps the film just becomes a not very scary slasher that gets sillier and sillier and ends up thoroughly mediocre. Black Christmas need not be afraid.

[iank]

Gold. Roger Moore is promoted to the role of General Manager of a gold mine in South Africa, blissfully unaware he's being set up as scapegoat in a planned deadly 'accident' to destroy the mine and increase gold prices - regardless of how many men the 'accident' will kill. Susannah York, John Gielgud, Bradford Dillman and Tony Beckley co-star in this mid 70s flick that's a sometimes odd mix of conspiracy thriller, romantic melodrama and disaster movie. Even with the strange mix of genres and the somewhat leisurely pace, this is actually still pretty good with Moore on great form, a great supporting cast and a thrilling climax.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Suspiria (2018)

Dario Argento's 1977 film has long been my favourite of his work and indeed in my top two Italian films of all time so it was with a touch of trepidation that i approached this new version of Suspiria. I mean, Argento's film was one on it's own right? Not a film anyone could competently remake, well at least not Blumhouse anyway, with it's shocking acts of violence and vivid use of colour which are as iconic as say the luscious colours used by Roger Corman for his wonderful Poe cycle of films in the late fifties and sixties. Then there's Goblin and that soundtrack, haunting, terrifying and so utterly memorable. There's no way anyone could remake this film.

Is there?

Well, in my opinion director Luca Guadagnino has made a damn fine attempt at it.

Clocking in at almost an hour longer than the original this new version isn't an easy watch. Gone are the stark visuals to be replaced with downbeat shades of grey, brown and more grey. The lush reds' greens and blues are nowhere to be seen here in this winter set film. Radiohead bore Thom Yorke came up with the soundtrack. There was no way he was going to match Goblin so he didn't even try. His score is hardly to the films forefront except in pivotal dance scenes. It's these stark contrasts to the original that immediately embedded them selves in my head. The main location is the Grand Hotel Campo dei Fiori in Varese, Italy, which served as the Markos Dance Academy in which Suspiria mostly plays out. It's both Gothic and grandiose and partly completely out of time as well and fitting of it's 1977 time frame.

The story itself is essentially the same. It's a tale of a Berlin dance academy run by a coven of witches but Luca Guadagnino keeps things subtler. The idea of the coven and the Three mothers (Mother Tenebrarum, Mother Lachrymarum, and Mother Suspiriorum) plays out nicely towards a finale that really took me by surprise. Don't expect a recreation of the classic murder scenes that made Argento's film such a masterpiece. The deaths are certainly here but play out somewhat differently.I'll say no more except to say the first one is limb crackingly scary.

The dance scenes of which there are a few are superb. Wonderfully choreographed they are in your face confrontational, daring and frighteningly violent. Dakota Johnson who takes on Jessica Harper's role of Susie Bannion is a revelation. Physically up to the role, i thought she was superb, the same goes for Tilda Swinton as the dance school's artistic director and creator of the witchcraft / dance routines.

I'm unsure as to whether the political subplots enhance or takeaway from the film. Perhaps a second viewing will enlighten me further and the finale did make me think of Argento's own third film in the Mothers trilogy Mother of Tears in it's lurid OTT orgiastic spectacle.

Suspiria comes across as different enough to Dario Argento's film to make it a proper film in it's own right rather than a cash grab with no ideas of it's own, and i for one really enjoyed it.

[Deadite]

Nice review Dem.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Superb review, Dem. I, like you, will approach the 2019 version of Suspiria with some trepidation though your thoughts have allayed many of my fears.

[Demoncrat]

Zombieland: Double Tap

This sequel is about as self revential as they get. The cast return with Zoey Deutch in tow as an uber perky "mall bunny" character. There was some fun to be had with the rather kinetic action sequences. A somewhat hackneyed plot gives way to some rather salty dialogue. Worth a look.




Berserk (1967)

Joan Crawford runs a circus in this slightly sedate entry into her later career phase. Looks bonny enough, so I will be getting some more of these Indicator fings methinks
Someone's doing in the performers. Is it a critic? Or is it the fact the JC is still playing the vamp cough?
Fun to be had with the UK locations as well. Not quite as insane as either Homicidal or Strait Jacket, this is still worth having. Plus do not blink else you'll miss Tom Baker in an early appearance cough.