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  #53061  
Old 19th July 2020, 11:16 AM
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HORROR HOSPITAL – Anthony Balch’s horror ‘spoof’ is always quite a lot of fun to go back to. It’s not as mental as something like ‘Psychomania’, but in a way the vibe isn’t too dissimilar. HH is more knowing and more deliberately camp as it tells of of Michael Gough’s crazed forays into brain surgery at a remote health farm that seems to thrive on a demographic made up of hippies. There’s a lot of loving old school (as in thirties / forties referencing) horror creakiness, with ‘monster in the attic’ type garnishing chucked in pell-mell. Balch being Balch, he wasn’t afraid of showing us the shock of the new either, and those drive-by decaps are always hilarious. Highly enjoyable.

KNIFE + HEART – Parisian gay porn director Vanessa Paradis finds that having a girlfriend who just doesn’t get her constant drunken tantrums makes life a bit too messy; unfortunately said life gets a lot messier when it takes on the form of a semi-Giallo homage with a dude in a mask who has a knife and a weird bird. The excellent ‘Knife + Heart’ ends up a neon drenched trip into nocturnal fantasy which places its bondage-faced killer in the midst of a whirl of near-Lynchian asides, where basement clubs host folkloric-seeming lesbian grand guignol and where young men with mutated arms talk about occult birds in the depths of forests. Despite the mind warping tinge of some of its imagery, ‘Knife+Heart’ is fairly grounded in the dramatics surrounding Paradis, who is very good here. Very highly recommended.

SKINNER – A new one on me. Somehow the pairing of Ted Raimi and Rikki Lake seems less inspired than it possibly should be, but this is certainly quite an odd film. Ted is a quiet guy who just happens to be a serial killer; Rikki manages a B&B. What works is the atmosphere of dereliction and the stylisation, which nods at ‘They Call Her One Eye’ and anything Japanese or HK Cat 3 set in an abandoned factory with lighting by M Bava. Warning, there is a jaw droppingly strange sequence during which a character ‘black’s up’ to self-evidently racist effect.

AMERICAN RICKSHAW – Weird flick made in the afterglow of Italian Exploitation’s classic era. I was surprised that it was by Sergio Martino, who has certainly has a couple of glorious moments on his CV. This isn’t one of them, and in fact when I remember most of his resume after ‘All the Colors of the Dark’, maybe I’m not so surprised. Anyway, it’s a Chinese magic themed action thriller starring former Olympic gymnast Mitch Gaylord as some dude who’s framed for the murder of an evil evangelist’s son and has to dig his way out of that hole with the aid of a stripper. Then Donald Pleasance turns into a demon pig at the end. What film could possibly deliver on the promise of all that?

HAGAZUSSA – A slow burning voyage into the life of a young 15th century social outcast. She lives on the outskirts of a European village, where she’s widely regarded as a witch. Low on dialogue and heavy, ponderously heavy, on atmosphere, ‘Hagazussa’ may not be your first choice if you’re looking for shits and giggles. But if you’re looking for a painterly, free floating drift into semi-abstraction, then I can recommend it.
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  #53062  
Old 19th July 2020, 11:45 AM
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In My Skin (2002) ★★★★

At a party, Esther notices a trail of blood behind her on the floor and realises she has somehow sustained serious injuries to the skin on her lower leg. Wanting to tell her best friend but not having the opportunity for a one-to-one conversation, she keeps the information to herself and only later seeks medical attention.

Realising she is unusual in having inconsistent sensation in her skin, Esther begins to explore her body, firstly pulling the skin when in the bath and then, when bored at work, taking a sharp corner of a hinge to her leg. From there, she seemingly feels alienated from her own body, once (during a meal with her boss and a couple of business connections) observes her left arm as an entirely foreign object with which she has no connection, a connection she seeks to establish with an knife and then a fork under the restaurant table.

Disturbing and compelling, this is a fascinating look at a woman's journey into self-mutilation, a bloody and dangerous method of feeling something in a mundane life of office work.

Similar in some respects to Roman Polanski's Repulsion and David Cronenberg's Crash, this is a phenomenal achievement by writer/director/actor Marina de Van and a film which is both tough to watch and utterly gripping.
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  #53063  
Old 19th July 2020, 02:22 PM
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Dark Was the Night (2014)

Released in the UK in it's correct title and also back in 2014 as Monster Hunter, Dark Was the Night is an excellent beautifully paced, creature feature.

Wisely keeping the creature off screen for the most part enables the film to ratchet up tension levels and allow for some excellent characterisation thanks to a nicely written script and great performances from Kevin Durand (Whom i last saw out gurning Nic Cage in last years fun Primal) and Lukas Haas as two local sheriffs trying to piece together disturbing happening as horses go missing, large footprints are seen in town, and bodies are discovered high up in trees in nearby woods. What is commendable for a movie of this ilk is how well written the secondary characters are, even the smaller roles are nicely rounded and three dimensional making you invest in them when Durand isn't on screen.

Working the English folkloric myth of the Devil's Footprint's into the movie works in it's favour as the mystery deepens and atmosphere builds before we arrive at a climax in a Carpenter esq base under siege final twenty minutes when we do get to see the beast in all it's glory culminating in a quite surprising final shot which i didn't see coming.
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  #53064  
Old 19th July 2020, 02:29 PM
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mysteriousislandposter005.jpg
MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961)

Entertaining adventure based on a novel by Jules Verne and featuring Captain Nemo. Some more great stuff from Ray including a giant crab and giant bees.

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STRAW DOGS (1971)

Great movie by Sam Peckinpah. The film is one of those that still sticks in the mind long after the movie has ended.
The UK quad poster.. No one would allow that now!

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  #53065  
Old 19th July 2020, 02:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Boy View Post
STRAW DOGS (1971)

Great movie by Sam Peckinpah. The film is one of those that still sticks in the mind long after the movie has ended.
The UK quad poster.. No one would allow that now!

Attachment 226212
Is that a photo of your DVD sleeve signed by Susan George, Dave?
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  #53066  
Old 19th July 2020, 03:14 PM
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Yes. The DVD sleeve. Susan is a rare signer.
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  #53067  
Old 19th July 2020, 03:21 PM
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I know she doesn't do many conventions and festivals so I wasn't sure whether it was a photo of something you had or whether it was a picture from Google images!
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  #53068  
Old 19th July 2020, 03:24 PM
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I had it signed quite a few years back now. Simon MacCorkindale was with her.
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  #53069  
Old 19th July 2020, 03:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Boy View Post
I had it signed quite a few years back now. Simon MacCorkindale was with her.
It's a real collector's item – kudos!
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  #53070  
Old 19th July 2020, 09:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Demoncrat View Post
Munafik 2

So a friend comes round with some of the films he bought whilst working in Indonesia.
This one turned into a highly entertaining evening as it turned out to be a CAM
So the subtitles were only visible for parts of it. Basically a Muslim horror flick, replacing yer old Oirish priest with their equivalent (Imam?). Decent budget, so the set pieces were quite impressive. Religion does play quite a part in it unsurprisingly.



Modus Anomali (Joko Anwar)

Another Indo flick. Basically a "revenge" film, it starts with a rather lengthy outdoor chase sequence, then turns on a dime as the protagonist reaches civillisation. An odd wee thing, this time dubbed, which did help somewhat. Decent ending. Would watch another of his films certainly.


Under Siege

The last time Busey was sane on screen???
A fun time was had perusing the Seagal in whites Evil bugger Tommy Lee Jones is pissed off, so he steals a boat in order to make a point. Sadly for him, the human ponytail is locked in the brig. Fun romp, not as outright insane as the sequel but not very grounded in reality either. Won an Oscar for sound design??? Hmmm.
Under Siege is one of my favorite no-brainer films, such a fun film to relax to and not have to concentrate.
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