What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Dunwich Horror (1970)

Colourful and a bit atmospheric with a hammy turn from Dean Stockwell. AIP were never the company to produce a Lovecraft movie. They don't have the balls for it.

Stick to Poe where nothing happens other than some choice dialogue in future eh?

A flawed effort.

[Demoncrat]

I have a soft spot for that one.

Has precisely 5 words that HPL used in it

Ahem.



Capture Kill Release

Was looking forward to this one, and it got off to a decent start, but after something that also happens in Bad Boy Bubby, I now want the lead actress DEAD (in the film).

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

[Demoncrat]

Evil Things (2009, Dominic Perez)

WHY don't they EVER take a bloody compass with them ffs??

A group of urbanites go off into the back of beyond for a surprise birthday party.
After an altercation with a van with blacked out windowzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

WAKE UP.

At least it was only 70 minutes.
Tonight ... something with a PLOT

[Inspector Abberline]

Alice in Wonderland. (1951)
May just be me of course. But you never seem to here much about Disney's version of Alice In Wonderland, not in the same hush tones that people wax lyrical about Bambi and Fantasia that is...Not having read Lewis Carrols story, I could not possibly comment on how accurate the Disney version is, but knowing them they would of taken some liberties with the story and such...All the characters are present and correct of course like all Disney movies there is copious amounts of singing, some songs are catchy others just irritating...Not surprising there is an air of psychedelic imagery as Alice is knocking back bottles to down size, so she can get through small key holes while chasing a white rabbit with a pocket watch, coming across pipe smoking caterpillars and not to mention chewing on magic mushrooms....There are many highlights, including the Mad Hatters tea party, and Alice is wonderfully realised and voice acted brilliantly by Kathryn Beaumont...The animation reminded me a lot of early Looney Tunes cartoons rather than the usual doe eyed Disney characters, especially the Queen of Hearts, who loves decapitation and playing croquet using flamingos and some sort of rodent as a ball...its no wonder John Lennon was influenced by Lewis Carrol, and Alice In Wonderland in particular when writing I am The Walrus, well it was either that or the the LSD....

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Come Play With Me (1977)

Allegedly the longest consecutive running film in a London cinema at the time, four years or something, Come Play With Me is dire. It's the arse end of British slap n' tickle creativity wise and marginally saved only by some good scenes with saucy Sue Longhurst.

Having said that. I kinda enjoyed it more this time than the first time i watched the Odeon dvd.

[trebor8273]

Always enjoyed this an atmospheric and creepy tale. A number a bizarre and gory murders take place in a small Maine town,the local Sheriff sets out too investigate and soon figures out their is something strange going on with the town and it's people ,which could be linked too the town's strange mortician who has a love of big band music. Watch out for Freddy himself as one of the townsfolk in a early horror role. 8.5/10

Up tonight.

[Inspector Abberline]

I think this was my first Ray Harryhausen movie, I'm pretty sure this was shown on television one Saturday afternoon,(In the days when television would churn out something more interesting than, what ever they show now a days, I just realised I have no clue what they do show on terrestrial television on a Saturday any more)...Obviously then it was the Sinbad movies followed, and pretty much anything with his name on would peek my interest as a young lad...I mean its a genius idea, cowboys versus Dinosaur, all down by Rio Grande...James Franciscus is our likeable hero who is dragged into finding a new species of miniature horse, of course like most of these films, you have an eccentric scientist in the guise of Laurence Naismith as Professor Bromley..
What I love about Valley of the Gwangi is that its pretty much all set in the blazing sun light, and its kind of a neat idea seeing cowboys wrestle with dinosaurs, although The Beast of Hollow Mountain, beat them to it apparently,(although I've never seen the 1956 movie, but it does have a great poster)....As always Harryhausen work is stunning even today, from the miniature horse right up to the Tyrannosaurus Gwangi, who is still the most terrifying on screen dinosaur there is...The film has everything you could wish for in a monster flick, monster battles, monster rampages. Monsters eating people, in fact all that's missing was pickled onion monster munch....Also what a wonderful font on the title credits...

[Demoncrat]

Great review as always Ron!!

The Necro Files (1997, Matt Jaissle)

Imagine if you will the love child of Ittenbach and Garth Marenghi. This is that progeny.

A Satanic cult inadvertedly raise a demon rapist. Two coppers think they are just looking for some common or garden scumbag . One makes The Bad Lieutenant look like PC McGarry . The dialogue .... Brecht it ain't

Am crying with laughter. NOT FF
Recommended if you fancy some gory levity.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Book Thief (2013)

A beautifully acted and thoughtful drama that deals with prejudice on the eve of the Second World War seen through the eyes of normal German folk who didn't buy into Nazi propaganda.

Sophie Nelisse is excellent as the young orphan sent to stay with foster parents (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson) in a small German town and discovers the pleasures of reading just as the locals are forced by the Nazi's to burn books.

The Book Thief was a real pleasure to watch even if the last act was a bit of a gut wrencher.

[MrBarlow]

Blood Vessel. 2019.

Late 1945 survivors in a raft in the North Atlantic, fear the worst with low food and no water, until a German vessel sweeps towards them and take refuge. Realizing the ship is abandoned they search to uncover what happened.

This was a decent horror film with a small amount of gore and suspense, after the first 10 minutes it goes straight into the plot of being on the boat and mystery as to where the crew are and what secrets are hidden in the bowels of the boat. The only thing I hated about the film was the ending was predictable and looks as though it has been done before. The acting and direction was done at a decent steady pace with the sense of claustrophobia, don't know if it's my old eyes but this is better viewed in the dark.

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