What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I've never seen Sex Drive as the trailer put me off. I have seen Bounty Hunter, which is woeful, like a crap remake of Midnight Run.

This is a review of The Bounty Hunter I wrote for the Blu-ray release:

I had heard fairly negative things about The Bounty Hunter but, rather than go with what the critics say, I decided to find out for myself and see if it was really that bad (8% according to Rotten Tomatoes) or whether the critics were just being overly harsh and snobby about a good hearted romantic comedy. You know what? The critics were right.

The Bounty Hunter stars Gerard Butler as Milo Boyd, an ex-cop turned bounty hunter, who is asked by his employer, bail bondsmen Sid, to bring in his ex-wife, brilliant journalist Nicole Hurley, who has failed to attend a court hearing for unpaid parking tickets. For Milo, this seems like the dream job but it isn't long until he believes Nicole's story about being onto a hot story which may mean that her life is in danger.

Nope, I'm not buying it either.

Anyway, Milo thinks that his luck is in as he is going to be paid $5000 to take his ex-wife to jail but, after he has been shot at and had his vintage convertible trashed by a gangster in a SUV, he thinks that what began as an easy day's work will be far from that. From the very beginning you know that Milo will succeed and get Nicole to jail, earn his money and she will somehow manage to break the story as they learn to love each other again.

The Bounty Hunter is basically an incompetent remake of Midnight Run, that 1988 action/comedy movie directed by Martin Brest only with Gerard Butler in the Robert De Niro role and Jennifer Aniston playing the Charles Grodin part. The odd thing with Gerard Butler is that he seems to be a man with absolutely no comedic timing yet somehow manages to be funny when he is desperately trying to be serious; Law Abiding Citizen was full of lines that were incredibly amusing even though Butler was trying to be threatening. Watch 300 and tell me that some of those lines aren't unintentionally amusing. Jennifer Aniston, on the other hand, is an actress who can be extremely funny as she rose to fame and fortune in a sitcom, winning an Emmy in the process. Her transition from TV star to film star has not exactly been plain sailing and she can occasionally get 'lost' on the big screen.

With these two actors who, on an off day, have absolutely zero when it comes to comedy, it is doubly unfortunate that they are given a leaden script which is utterly devoid of humour and the direction, by Andy Tennant, does our two leads absolutely no favours whatsoever. If you are looking for one glimmer of fun, one tiny sparkle in this terrible mess of a movie, it comes in the very brief appearances of Christine Baranski doing a Joan Rivers impression. That's how low the film sinks and how desperate I was to look for comedy to justify its post as a romantic comedy.

Unlike Midnight Run, The Bounty Hunter is a baggy mess where you never feel that the two leads are in danger and will, by the end, end up back in love with Milo having completed his task. Not enough is made of the bail bondsmen role as Jeff Garlin is a tremendous comedic actor and if he was given as much screen time as Joe Pantoliano was in Midnight Run, there would be many more laughs than they were in this comedic dud.

Also, I'm not sure whether this was a contractual obligation thing or she thought it would be a great idea, but Jennifer Aniston seem to spend the entire film in low-cut tops ensuring the camera spent many minutes staring straight down her cleavage. Some may think that this is a reason to watch the film, but I just thought it was barrel scrapingly bad taste. This was a massive box office and critical failure and I can see why.

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Graveyard

Keep it that way.

The problem is they made another one.. The Vengeance of She.

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

God yeah. I totally forgot about that one. That really is the worst of Hammer.

Thanks for the tip guys, will follow your advice

[nicholasrope]

Out of all the films that I've seen or out there they could have gotten a response, I didn't think that The Bounty Hunter would be it.

And I watched Garbage Pail Patch Movie lol

[MrBarlow]

The Killer Shrews. 1959.

On a isolated island a group of people trapped from a hurricane become attacked by a doctor's experiment Shrews.

It's a bit of a laugh that these killer Shrews are played by dogs in decent make up for the 50s era, yeah it's probably naff now but effective back then and still mildly entertaining today for some. James Best plays the so called hero alongside Ingrid Goude as the damsel in distress and her father Baruch Lemet who created something that went out of control. If your looking for a film that's set on another isolated island check this one out. Had a look at the trailer for The Return Of The Killer Shrews and just about laughed at it, think that will be avoided.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Cosh Boy (1953)

Excellent British noir style thriller about a gang of juvenile delinquents led by Roy (James Kenney) who tear up post war Battersea committing robbery and muggings on a nightly basis.

For 1953 this is genuinely hard hitting stuff. It was one of the first British films to receive an X certificate. As a commentary on social ills it works well but it's as an exciting and at times tense thriller that Lewis Gilbert's film really hits home.

I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend the BFI Flipside release. I'm looking forward to watching Stranger in the City. A 1961 film by Robert Hartford-Davis (Corruption, The Fiend, The Black Torment) about 1960's Soho, that's one of many extras on the release.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Owners (2020)

Maisie Williams stars as an unwitting accomplice when three youths attempt to burgle the isolated home of former doctor (Yes really) Sylvester McCoy and his wife, Rita Tushingham.

The Owners is set in 1999 and is a true clash of both style and genre. Young versus old and nineties chic in what is pretty much a classic old dark house movie.

It's fair to say that if you are a fan of modern home invasion thrillers and also classic British horror from the late sixties early seventies that some of it does become slightly predictable, but the fact the film echoes classic oddities like 1970's Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny, and Girly and another from Tigon from the same year (Sorry no title for that one) as much as it does anything seen in 21st century horror means it remains fascinating entertainment throughout.

Although Williams is good the film really belongs to McCoy and Tushingham who through interesting and captivating performances grow increasingly creepy as events unfold in both pulp horror - those wanting some strong good old fashioned practical gore won't be disappointed - and weird British horror style.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

The true story of Robert Stroud, a dangerous convicted murderer held in permanent isolation who redeems himself when he takes in a young bird fallen from it's nest and over time becomes a world renowned expert on ornithology. Oddly enough, despite the title and his Alcatraz notoriety most of the movie and Stroud's incarceration takes place at Leavenworth. His birds weren't allowed at Alcatraz.

You know when you watch a film for the first time and absolutely love it but can't put anything down in words as to why other than everything about it being excellent from the performances and direction, to the cinematography to the script, basically everything?

Well Birdman of Alcatraz is one such film. Absolutely brilliant.

There's a scene in this two and a half hour film in which a baby bird hatches from it's egg. It's a long scene with the camera completely focused on the bird's fight for freedom. It's probably a metaphor for escaping prison drudgery but it's one hell of a torturous and beautiful sequence.

[Nordicdusk]

I watched Coming To America 2 i was excited after the first trailer but the second trailer they released had me worried and i was right to feel that way. This film fell flat in every area it was great seeing so many of the original cast return but the humour is flat i wasnt expecting a classic like the first film but this one was way way way off the mark. I love Eddie Murphy and i always will but this was a total miss for me. Even the return of Randy Watson let me down. The best thing honestly in this was the old barber shops those guys had all the best jokes they should have their own film. It just felt like safe comedy trying to suit this f***ed up PC world we live in now.

Too much dancing not enough laughing.

[Graveyard]

Originally Posted by Nordicdusk

Too much dancing not enough laughing.

After one hour, I was distracted with my phone, so disappointing.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Obsession (1976)

Some nice Florence location work but this was Hitchcock lite and quite dull for the most. I felt the most engaging part was the budding romance during the middle third.

I doubt i'll ever bother to watch this again. Probably the worst Brian De Palma film i've ever seen, so tame and lackluster even if it was pretty to look at.