What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Almar@Cult Labs

What I liked about this was Hauer got equal billing originally - a nice move for the time. What a guy - I met him years ago when I was PR'ing Hobo with a Shotgun - by then he was quite old but what a presence and those eyes! My god, the eyes! Total star.

And much missed!

About time someone in this country gave WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE and THE HITCHER the treatment they deserve.

Hopefully the BFI will give us his other films with Verhoeven after their cracking release of SPETTERS.

A boxset would be lovely!

[nicholasrope]

Mannequin

Andrew McCarthy is a young artist, going from job to job, makes a mannequin so perfect, he gets a job at the shop the mannequin is displayed but it comes to life (Played by Kim Cattrell) but only he can see it alive. Cue misunderstandings and awkward situations. Co-Starring G.W Bailey ad James Spader (Hamming it up) as this was the 1st time, I've seen it, chances are it was better back in the day. It has the classic Starship song "Nothing Is Gonna Stop Us Now" that song must have been incredible back in 87, mind you, still is today.

Fear City

Tom Berrenger is on the hunt for a sadistic killer who is murdering the girls who work for him. It has that sleezy, grimy feel to it which is to it's advantage. Melanie Griffiths and Billy Dee Williams Co-Star. Probably due a Blu-Ray release, kinda surprised Arrow haven't done it even though it also fits in with 88 Films.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

One Fine Day (1996)

Following a shaky start i warmed to this rom-com. Both George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer are good once they stop gabbling like Capra-esq wannabes.

It was nice to sit down and watch a film such as this, it felt like a throwback to classic Hollywood with it's will they won't they finale at the end of a very hectic single day looking after each other's kids.

I did find it cool that amidst all the Ella Fitzgerald's and Tony Bennett's on the soundtrack there's also Prong and Corrosion of Conformity. I should give it an extra mark for that alone.

Last night, I watched some of The Hearse. It's kind of boring.

[Dave Boy]

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2O MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)

A creature brought back from Venus begins to grow rapidly in size. After breaking the restraints in a laboratory, the creature heads off to Rome pursued by the Army..
Ray manages to animate a creature that an audience feels sympathy with.
Like 'Kong', a creature taken from it's natural place and then hunted down.

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DEMON SEED (1977)

Julie Christie is held prisoner in her automated house by 'Proteus', an artificial intelligence who want's a child..
Very good sci fi thriller. Once again, as soon as you start to watch the movie it makes you think that 40+ years on how much we rely on computers and AI now and how lazy we are becoming with the house voice activated for everything, even the most simple of tasks. 'Alexa' anyone?

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Concussion (2015) ★★★½

A dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.

Concussion doesn't have a big cinematic feel to it, at times being more like a made-for-TV movie than something that features several A-list actors. It's an important film with a clear David v Goliath narrative, a little like Michael Mann's brilliant The Insider. There are parallels between big tobacco covering up the dangers of smoking with the NFL refusing to acknowledge the link between professional football, concussions, and brain damage.

Will Smith is excellent as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant neuropathologist who finds a link between the concussive to sober concussive blows which people sustain when playing football and a brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The rest of the cast, from David Morse to Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw to Albert Brooks, extremely well cast and utterly convincing.

Unlike The Insider, which doesn't pull its punches about the borderline criminal behaviour of the tobacco firms who were suppressing the evidence about how dangerous their product is, I feel Concussion gives the NFL (and commissioners Paul Tagliabue and Roger Goodell) an easy ride. I am not sure why, but the film could have been much more critical of the NFL is dragging its feet on player safety at acknowledging the link between football and CTE.

This is a worthy and engaging film which is beautifully shot and scored, though one which could have been much more impactful if had a bit more 'bite' and showed more of these information which is in the superb documentary League of Denial. It's a film which should have made the NFL (and all those who watch and play football) uncomfortable.

[nicholasrope]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

One Fine Day (1996)

Following a shaky start i warmed to this rom-com. Both George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer are good once they stop gabbling like Capra-esq wannabes.

It was nice to sit down and watch a film such as this, it felt like a throwback to classic Hollywood with it's will they won't they finale at the end of a very hectic single day looking after each other's kids.

I did find it cool that amidst all the Ella Fitzgerald's and Tony Bennett's on the soundtrack there's also Prong and Corrosion of Conformity. I should give it an extra mark for that alone.

Sometimes it's nice to watch a film that is not aimed for kids that doesn't have constant swearing, violence...etc.

[nicholasrope]

Heathers

Black Comedy in which Christian Slater kills off popular students at a School by making them look like suicides. He is assisted by Winona Ryder, who becomes increasingly reluctant. This is not a bad film with some dark humor in it.

Hell Comes To Frogtown

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper is a prisoner of the female faction who took over the USA after a nuclear war. Mutant Frogs thrive in the wasteland while humans face possible extinction due to infertility. Piper is one of the few men that is able to impregnate the few women who can have children. As a mission, he has to go into Frogtown to rescue women who were kidnapped to work in a Harem.

This sounds bonkers and it is, but it's a very silly and entertaining B-Movie full of funny lines and Piper's facial reactions are great.

South Park: Bigger, Louder & Uncut

When the four boys are caught watching an R-rated movie featuring Canadians Terrance and Phillip, they are pronounced corrupted and a war between The USA and Canada erupts with Satan and Saddam Hussein looking on.

I was a casual fan of the TV show South Park but I do remember watching new episodes on a Friday Night on channel Four at 21:30 back in the late 90's (Back when Terrestrial TV meant something) and I was at College back then, so in a way it was the beginning of the weekend. I haven't watched an episode in years and I don't own the DVD's but I love this film, it is so funny, just don't watch it with someone who is easily offended.

[trebor8273]

We follow Cher a slightly spoiled but nice high school student , in her high school life with her various friends, she might be the most popular girl in school and is smarter than people think she is, but she is clueless in the matters of love. A excellent feel good high school comedy . 8.5/10



Not a patch on Demon Knight this was just boring , the best bits were the opening scene and the bit with the crypt keeper and the mummy,switched of at the half hour mark. 4/10



Years since I've seen this and forgotten just how good it is, and showed that Carrey is actually a pretty good actor.

Here he plays Truman who appears to have the perfect life in the picture perfect town of Sea Haven, little does he release that his whole life is part of a reality show that's centred around him, but he slowly begins to see that there is something off with his life. Brilliant and Carrey gives a fantastic performance as the hugely likable Truman. The moral of the movie is to confront our fears and lead the life you want and not let others run it for you as you will miss out on what life has too offer. Probably more poignant now than when it was released . 9.5/10

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Rhythm Section (2020)

I really enjoyed this different and less glamorous take on the female assassin genre.

Blake Lively is very good as the drug addicted prostitute turned hit-woman and her fragility and at times general incompetence in what she does makes her character and the film more believable and grounded in reality and i got a lot more investment from it than the one woman shoot-em'-up that was Atomic Blonde and Jennifer Lawrence vehicle Red Sparrow.

Where it did falter was in the editing. Some scenes were intercut which meant the tension was non-existent in one of Liveley's hits in a swish New York apartment. On the whole though the slow burn drama and moody atmosphere had me quite engrossed.

A highlight was a rather intense car chase sequence shot from Lively's passenger seat, reminding me of the one from the Charles Bronson Poliziotteschi Violent City. It's scary, woozy and rather gripping at the same time probably similar to a real car chase rather than the usual CGI bollocks.

The Rhythm Section was produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson and was intended to become a series of films featuring a female assassin akin to their classic James Bond series, but seeing as the film completely tanked at the box office that won't be happening which is a shame as i felt there was a lot of potential here and would have looked forward to a second chapter.