What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Tenebrae (1982)

Seeing this on Blu-Ray for the first time was like watching it for the first time. So much so that i'd actually forgotten the ins and out's of the story as well as who the killer was (Thankfully).

Dario Argento's direction is inspired, not only with the beautifully gory splatter of blood, or the famous camera climbing the walls technique but in so many other ways too such as the gripping chase as a Doberman pursues a hapless victim, not to mention some surreal scenes on a beach which only make sense come the finale. Then there's the reveal of a character (No spoilers) completely hidden, stood behind another character, which even though so simple to do looked superb and proved a genuine shock reveal.

Anthony Franciosa is excellent as thriller writer Peter Neal, caught up in a murderous web with close associates meeting violent ends as you try to guess what brutalities Argento will throw at you next, all the time accompanied by a sublime score by Goblin.

Seeing Tenebrae again was a breath of fresh air. I absolutely loved it.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

The Green Inferno. 2013.

A group of college students head out to save the Amazon Jungle and encounter a small village of cannibals.

I have always held off watching this and just watched it on Shudder, was Eli Roth trying to make a homage to Umberto Lenzi and Ruggero Deodato with their cannibal flicks we know and love? In some parts it seemed ok and other parts was Eli trying to introduce laughter and less tension cos that didn't really work for me at all, once seen and may not be seen again.

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I hated this i only watched it the once and the humour parts just didnt work for me and ruined the whole film.

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Nordicdusk

I hated this i only watched it the once and the humour parts just didnt work for me and ruined the whole film.

Seeing a guy in a cage with other people tugging and talking about stress relief doesn't really belong in a cannibal film unless it's a parody, that's what ruined the film for me, suppose in the same situation we may loose control of our bowels a bit but Amy must have been holding in a few days worth. I did laugh at how they planned on escaping cos you know it would never work.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

Seeing a guy in a cage with other people tugging and talking about stress relief doesn't really belong in a cannibal film unless it's a parody, that's what ruined the film for me, suppose in the same situation we may loose control of our bowels a bit but Amy must have been holding in a few days worth. I did laugh at how they planned on escaping cos you know it would never work.

I kept thinking maybe i should revisit it just to give it another chance but when i think of scenes like you just mentioned i dont think i can handle it

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Nordicdusk

I kept thinking maybe i should revisit it just to give it another chance but when i think of scenes like you just mentioned i dont think i can handle it

They are forever etched into my brain

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I quite liked The Green Inferno. Then again, i'm not the biggest fan of cannibal movies. I won't be upgrading any of them to Blu-Ray.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Vamp (1986)

Pretty dismal horror comedy which felt like it was from the same universe as Fright Night yet lacking any of that 1985 films thrills.

Part frat comedy and part horror supposedly set in a sleazy LA strip club, you know the type, so sleazy that the strippers don't actually strip, and following a fun slightly gory vampire kill by Grace Jones... well, that's about it as far as gore was concerned.

Sure Vamp is lively enough but it falls short of being funny comedy or quality horror. As a first time viewing this was a disappointment.

[nosferatu42]

I remember not being very impressed with Vamp when it first came out on VHS, i rewatched it recently and liked it a little better, but it's still no classic in my eyes.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Ben-Hur (1959)

Outstanding historical / religious epic starring Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish merchant from Judea betrayed by former friend, the Roman, Messala (Stephen Boyd) and sent to be a slave in the galley of Roman Consul Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), who he wins the favor of in an attack by Macedonian pirates by saving his life.

Taken back to Rome by Arrius, Ben Hur becomes an outstanding charioteer who some time later returns to Judea and ends up racing Messala in a chariot race... the rest as they say is history, or at least Bible history.

Even now, sixty two years later Ben Hur is some achievement. William Wyler's film sports a cast of thousands of extras and stunning sets with the chariot race the action center piece, an action sequence that cost $1m to make even then. It's remains a thrilling spectacle, filmed by men and horses and you can really tell during the fifteen minutes it's on screen. Today even with the best CGI you simply couldn't achieve the same sense of realism.

The sea battle is also a stand out, although having watched this earlier today (and the chariot race) on the original 1925 silent original version of Ben Hur i can state that the silent version of the sea battle is actually more spectacular and certainly more violent. For the record, the silent chariot race is almost as good as Wyler's, when you consider they didn't have the filming techniques or equipment back in the mid 1920's that really was some achievement.

Ben Hur isn't a perfect film, not by any stretch of the word. At 3h 44mins it's far too long and I find the first quarter extremely talky and not very interesting. Some of these scenes could have been shortened considerably without losing anything from proceedings.

Yet it remains a classic of cinema history and always will do. Seeing it on Blu-Ray was pretty special. Every frame beautifully restored, so even when the mind might have wandered the eyes were continuously transfixed on the screen.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Love Ban (1973)

Hywel Bennett and Nanette Newman simply can't stop shagging, unfortunately it means they have a house full of brats due to Bennett's Catholic beliefs, so Newman, sick of being lumbered with six kids in eight years, bans sex.

Pretty soon Bennett's fantasies take over and he begins to see every pretty girl he meets naked when he shuts his eyes.

A reasonable premise but not especially funny, for it is a comedy, nor is it particularly sexy. The idea of Maddie Smith playing one of Bennett's fantasies certainly was of interest except it wasn't Smith who appeared naked, wasn't anyone who actually looked like her either other than having long brown hair.

Milo O'Shea as a priest who kept visiting became annoying although Nicky Henson lit up all his scenes and there was a fun extended cameo from John Cleese taking an adult class about birth control.