What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Manhattan Baby (1982)

Using Stoker's Jewel of the Seven Stars as it's primary inspiration, Lucio Fulci's Manhattan Baby fails on so many levels. The story is a difficult one to make interesting for cinema goers as other film makers (The Awakening, Blood From the Mummy's Tomb) have found out. To that end Fulci adds elements from The Exorcist into the mix as the film spirals into an incoherent mess.

Having said that, the film isn't just about the sum of it's parts, it's almost a series of vignettes thrown together from which Fulci hoped to assemble some sort of story. Sadly they don't. What we do get is a nicely shot movie with good Egyptian and New York location work with each sequence adding it's own weirdness to the overall film. Barely five minutes passes without something horrific or interesting happening, meaning, despite it's story line or lack of it, the film still has a lot of entertainment value. Take the bird attack at the finale. It's resplendent with trademark Fulci gore yet also shockingly amateurish in it's execution. Despite all these 'things' happening Manhattan Baby lacks thrills and it isn't in the least bit gripping.

As a final thought it's worth asking why on earth Fulci thought the extremely irritating Giovanni Frezza would be a good addition as a child actor. He was bad enough as Bob in House by the Cemetery withoud him showcasing his talents here as well.

Manhattan Baby may be from Fulci's classic era but it isn't classic Fulci, it isn't even good Fulci but it is weirdly watchable Fulci. In a fashion.

Yet to manage it in one sitting.....

[Frankie Teardrop]

X – Ti gets it right with this sweaty tale of porn-makers out in wilds. TCM references are a given – we’re in Texas, it’s the seventies, awful things are happening, power tools or not – but the undercurrent of the melancholy of the languishing and the lost points more towards something like ‘Tourist Trap’, even in the absence of telekinetic dolls. Of course, the director being who he is, most of the movie is a patchwork of quotes one way or another. But once again he shows his facility for brewing looming menace with lingering long shots and, as with ‘House Of The Devil’, the steady build is thick with woozy atmosphere before hot spurts of splatter gore up the climax. Excellent, I thought.

HARD ROCK ZOMBIES – What a trainwreck. This misfiring ‘horror comedy’ glories in its ineptitude, and you can’t help but join it, although be warned – any cheap laughs stemming from the awfulness might stick in the throat. A bunch of Kiss imitators turn into zombies who do robotics. Hitler’s in it for a little while, along with dwarves and a severed hand. My rictus grin might’ve faded long before the credits, but as cheapskate skid row shite full of random weirdness goes, I’d take this over ‘Surf 2’ any day.

LEVIATHAN – Somewhere, in a place with lots of shadowy corridors and side-rooms, some humans are trapped in with a hostile alien. Actually, we’re under the ocean – ‘Leviathan’ was made at that point in the late eighties when there was a spate of underwater creature features, and here we are in some kind of subaquatic mine / research facility owned by fish-eyed Meg Foster, who definitely isn’t the embodiment of corporate evil. ‘Leviathan’ doesn’t have the gravitas of ‘The Abyss’ (thankfully) and soon shows its hand as a merry rip-off of ‘The Thing’ when it unleashes a few bolts of nonsense body horror; although Stan Winston is no Rob Bottin here, he’s at least creative enough to provide a fleeting Y’golonac moment when someone’s palm unaccountably opens up a fanged maw. Peter Weller and a few familiar faces just shrug and get on with it. As workmanlike retreads go, I liked it.

SCHIZOID – Members of a therapy group are being slashed one by one. Klaus Kinski is their psych-doc, so I’d say being murdered by an unknown assailant might be the least of their worries. ‘Schizoid’ doesn’t really go in for the brash approach of a cheap teen slasher, pitching itself more as a murder mystery / giallo, something with a bit of taste, although it has no taste. There’s something slightly off-kilter about it, however – bloopy synths on the soundtrack go haywire now and again, things pop out from odd angles – hey! It’s a horse’s skull… does that mean something bad’s about to happen? Maybe it’s a Cannon thing. Not gory, but there’s a brutality to some of the kills, plus a slight salaciousness when dildo Klaus does his sleazy dad routine. Needed a pinch or two of something else, but OK.

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

Ever seen Two A Penny? A Cliff film with a difference

Never seen it but is one you recommend Demon?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Great to hear your thoughts of Ti West's X, Frankie.

It was one i was going to save for either October or Christmas.

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

Never seen it but is one you recommend Demon?

It's ... just different. It's on YT. The things you find etc ....

[nicholasrope]

Delta Force 2: Colombian Connection

Chuck Norris is back and this time, he's in Colombia in order to get revenge on Billy Drago who murdered his friend. Remembered it being decent back in the day but whilst it's adequate, there's definitely better Films of it's ilk out there.

But there's nothing wrong with a One Man Army destroying a Colombian Drug Ring. John P. Ryan co-stars as a bit looney Commander.

Gladiator

No not the Russell Crowe one nor the 1986 one that stars Ken Wahl, this is the forgotten 1992 Boxing Film which sees James Marshall and Cuba Gooding Jr. (Not sure if this was before or after starring in A Few Good Men) fall foul of unscrupulous Boxing Promoter (Played brilliantly by Brian Dennehy) I really enjoyed this still, Dennehy is completely believable in his role, the only knock is that the every punch in the Boxing Scenes seem to be Power Shots (Think Rocky Movies)

Can't be many Films that have the same title at least 3 times and not be a Sequel or Re-make.

The Help

Emma Stone writes a book telling the stories of Housekeepers in Mississippi. Good Film with great performances from Bryce Dallas Howard as the mean, controlling boss and Jessica Chastin who's as kind as Howard was mean. Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis co-star in a cast which in 2022 is pretty loaded.

I do wonder if Minnie was calling Hellie's bluff with the Pie lol.

BASEketball

Trey Parker and Matt Stone star in a Sports Comedy in which 2 friends create a Sport which takes off but fall out when changes to the Sport's Rule Guide are applied. You know what you are going to get and it does have it's funny moments.

Ring Of Fire

Don "The Dragon" Wilson is a Doctor who is caught in the middle of 2 rival Kickboxing gangs in L.A. as his Cousin is the leader of one gang and is dating the Sister of the head of the other gang. Nice Action scenes and there is some resemblance of a plot (Even though loosely basing it on Romeo & Juliet wasn't expected. Gary Daniels has a role in this too.

Still have a soft spot for Wilson Movies as I rented many of them back in the day and this was from that time period (1991) where Video Shops had many Films that starred Kickboxers/Martial Artists.

Those were the days, they were my type of Films.

[nicholasrope]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

It's ... just different. It's on YT. The things you find etc ....

Like Brittany Snow

[nosferatu42]

Originally Posted by nicholasrope

[COLOR="Yellow"]R]


Ring Of Fire

Don "The Dragon" Wilson is a Doctor who is caught in the middle of 2 rival Kickboxing gangs in L.A. as his Cousin is the leader of one gang and is dating the Sister of the head of the other gang. Nice Action scenes and there is some resemblance of a plot (Even though loosely basing it on Romeo & Juliet wasn't expected. Gary Daniels has a role in this too.

Still have a soft spot for Wilson Movies as I rented many of them back in the day and this was from that time period (1991) where Video Shops had many Films that starred Kickboxers/Martial Artists.

Those were the days, they were my type of Films.

Because people don't realise that the actual story that inspired the movie was the time Don "the dragon" Wilson went on a three day bender and kicked Johnny Cash's Ring into the stratosphere, it's still orbiting to this day...

Cuz i'm a sad bastard that's drunk and has been up all night. Ahoy yer one eyed bastard...

[Demoncrat]

Everybody Loves Sunshine (1999, Andrew Goth)

Geezer flick with Goldie and the Bowie.
Filmed in the Liverpool, set in Manchester
When two brothers get released from jail, their world outside has changed, or have they?
Since the director plays the main character, I was all set for Breen style nonsense. What I got was a great jumble of cliches
DB plays it cockernee for no reason that I could see, but he's barely in it anyhow. This was on the list because ... well, you've all seen what I watch

[Mojo]

THE APPOINTMENT. (1981)

Edward Woodward stars as a father whose uneasy relationship with his daughter takes a turn for the worse, when a works appointment stops him from attending her music concert.
Beginning with a startling pre credits sequence of the ghostly abduction of a schoolgirl, this becomes a slow burner full of eerie atmosphere, leading to a truly gripping ( and incredibly well filmed ) finale.
I thought the Flipside series lost its way a couple of years ago with some dubious releases, but since then it’s really got back on track and this creepy thriller from Lindsey Vickers is a terrific addition to the series. Highly recommended.