What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demoncrat]

The Velocipastor (Brendan Steere)

Testify!!

A priest finds "salvation" on a trip to China
Short and sweet at 72 min. Very silly.
Hysterical "pimp" baddie etc.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Unwanted (2014)

A young woman arrives in a rural town seeking the whereabouts of the mother she never knew and becomes involved with an emotionally fragile self harming waitress.

I quite enjoyed this revision on Le Fanu's Carmilla. Eschewing actual Gothic for American Southern Gothic this is a beautifully acted piece if rather slow moving during it's middle third.

As it's based on Carmilla it is essentially a story of a lesbian vampire but those hoping for lashings of steamy sex will be disappointed as will those hoping for a blood bath - although one scene rips off Hammer's Countess Dracula right down to Ingrid Pitt's shocked pose as she's discovered in yes, a bloody bath.

It's all quite ambiguous with no proper villains so to speak - although William Katt as the obsessive father probably comes closest - but the characters drive the film along with i think very good performances and Christen Orr as Carmilla and Hannah Fierman as Laura convincingly portray two lost and tortured souls slowly coming together.

The finale is very effective and took me by surprise how it played out.

A solid slow burner, ideal for anyone wanting something a bit different from the norm.

[MrBarlow]

The Delta Force. 1986.

When a plane bound from Athens to New York with a stop over in Rome is hijacked, a delta unit is tasked to rescue the passengers. when the attempt fails, they travel to Lebanon, failure is no option.

Aside from having the Cannon name and directed by Menahem Golan, this was actually decent action film based on a true story that happened in 1985.

Screen legend Lee Marvin stars as the Leader of the delta force and Chuck Norris as the second in command forced out of retirement for the rescue mission. Robert Forster stars as Abdul, leader of the terrorist freedom fighter and makes his character convincing and menacing at the same time. George Kennedy, Martin Balsam, Robert Vaughn star alongside. Recommended.



Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection. 1990.

When DEA Agents are taken hostage, Delta Force team lead by Scott McCoy are sent to South America and rescue them and take out a drug lord.

Chuck Norris returns for this sequel with a new team taking on Billy Drago who is ruthless and evil, his portrayal as the kingpin and makes him terrifying and sadistic. There is some nice camera work, plenty of action and explosions.The film may not be best sequel and doesn't live up to the first movie but it is watchable.

[MrBarlow]

Rambo: Last Blood. 2019.

John Rambo is now living on his late father's Farm, with his Niece and her grandmother. when his niece goes looking for her father in Mexico, she runs across a drug cartel and Rambo wages a new war.

Two words can only describe this film...****ING AWESOME, Sly Stallone shows to stopping at slowing down with his character, the way he brings the enemy to his own battleground and a cache full of weapons at his use. There is plenty of action and good amount of blood splatter. Recommended

[Demoncrat]

Blood Mania (1970, Robert O'Neil)

What a swizz. Exploitation at it's cheekiest, as there is very little of either in this. If it had been called The Bastards, it might have prepared me. Horrible folk try and outdo each other in the sleaze stakes. Kind of reminded me of Franco, with all his goodness taken out
Lovely print I must say, but after the screamingly BAVAesque opening sequence, it begins to falter. Mate hated it
Next!!!

[trebor8273]

The story of a naughty boy called Brian who might or might not be to some the messiah and remember to always look on the bright side of life. 9/10

[MrBarlow]

The Punisher. 2004.

A Undercover F.B.I. agent become a vigilante after his family is killed in a mob hitman execution.

Decent stylish remake of the Dolph Lundren 80s film, this time Thomas Jane takes the lead role of Frank Castle who visits his family for a reunion before moving to London after a botched sting operation leaving one dead who is the son of Mobster Howard Saint played brilliantly by John Travolta.

The film does have it's laughs and flaws which are ignored with the amount of action, sadistic torture and how Castle plots the revenge and able to turn people against each other. Will Patton co-stars as the family lawyer who enjoys inflicting pain on others, Rebecca Romijn, Ben Foster and John Pinette star as the lucky new neighbours of Castle.

[Nordicdusk]

Assault_WEB.jpg

In the woods next to an all girls school a student is raped while taking a short cut home. After the vicious assault the girl ends up in a care home from the shock. The school is sent into panic and the girls are not permitted to walk home alone they must be collected by family or carpooling with a teacher. But one girl slips away and is once again raped in the same woods but this time the attacker goes a step further and murders the girl.

Assault is a sleazy little affair where every male character comes across a little rapey in their treatment of woman. There are plenty of suspects but one or two act a bit too odd to throw you off picking the killer but overall an entertaining watch. I would of liked a better choice of music when the attack where happening something a bit more sinister but just a minor flaw.


7/10

[Demoncrat]

Doctor Sleep (Mike Flanagan)

Renton versus The Overlook is it?? Come hither then, ye weary travellers.
I sort of enjoyed the book, as twasn't one of his BIG mothers, the vilians are reprehensible scum, the usual nod to his own alcoholism etc etc. The film isn't different in this respect, even if some of it seems rushed cough.
When the music kicked in at the end, I did get a chill up the spine. Whether I ever revisit it again.... we shall see.
Recommended in that at least as a sequel it isn't just a retread.

[MrBarlow]

Taken. 2008.

Ex C.I.A. operative Bryan Mills travels to Paris and puts his skills to the test when his daughter is kidnapped by Albanians who use girls for sex trafficking.

Liam Neeson proves he can kick ass his way in this action flick, a ex counter terrorist specialist with a teen daughter who seems to be spoiled by her rich step father and moody mother played by Famke Janssen. The film does start a bit slow and the pace does quicken up good, to finding the kidnappers and using his own method of torture to find the answers. Never gets boring.


Taken 2. 2012.

Bryan Mills is in Istanbul doing security detail, when his ex wife and daughter appear to join him, unaware the father of one of the kidnappers Bryan killed is seeking revenge.

This was so so sequel, with the changed attitude of the characters, Kim and Lenore have seemed to matured a little bit, Kim not acting spoiled and throwing a tantrum when things don't go her way and Lenore not acting like a spoiled wife and Bryan being too observant. There is action and some fighting scenes , it does have its shady camera work, the shots over and in Istanbul are amazing. Rade Serbedzija gives a good performance as the father of Marko who wants his revenge by any ways necessary.