What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

In Hell (2003)

Jean-Claude Van Damme teams up with Hong Kong director Ringo Lam for a third and final time in this brutal prison based action movie.

Van-Damme plays an ordinary guy incarcerated in a scary Russian prison run by a corrupt general after taking revenge on the man that murdered his wife. Once in prison Van Damme is beaten and battered by pretty much everyone until he agrees to take part in the General's death matches.

Imagine Steve McQueen thrown in the cooler in The Great Escape and that's what repeatedly happens to Van Damme. Luckily he can bulk up and get fighting fit (literally) without anyone beating the crap out of him. Using the time to delve into the darkness of his inner self and then teaming up with his new cell mate, the formidable prisoner 451 (Lawrence Taylor) he beats the corrupt system.

Nothing you won't have seen before. As far as prison movies go this is no Escape from Alcatraz or The Shawshank Redemption, but then you wouldn't expect or want it to be. In Hell is pacy, snarlingly violent thrills and although shit might not blow up it definitely get's kicked out of folk.

[Frankie Teardrop]

BARBARIAN – Last year’s horror hot property is a cautionary fable about the hidden dangers of air b’n’bs. No spoilers from this point on, not that I imagine you’ll see any of ‘Barbarian’s left turns coming – let’s just say that I was surprised to find such a mainstream film, validated by Disney no less, heading at one point for decidedly icky territory. In the end it sticks with the tropes as often as the curve balls, and there’s not much in it that’s truly atypical, but I think the only real fault I’d level its way is that the ending is all a little convenient and a bit of scramble – otherwise, it’s really well done, to the point of near excellence. I hope this one gets a physical release because I’d probably buy it.

WATCHER – From Chloe Okuno. Jaded actor Maika Monroe lands in Bucharest – not speaking Rumanian, she finds herself adrift. The creepy guy who follows her around doesn’t help, and neither do the mutilated bodies that keep turning up near her apartment… ‘Watcher’ is a pretty decent fish-out-of-water thriller that might’ve been just a tad overrated in recent reviews, but its taut atmosphere and brewing paranoia are pretty compelling and well handled. Very different to what you might expect after the grotty lo-fi nineties sewer worship of Okuno’s ‘Storm Drain’ from ‘VHS 94’. Monroe is very good as always and on the whole this is haunting, pacy, and well worth checking out imo.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

BARBARIAN – Last year’s horror hot property is a cautionary fable about the hidden dangers of air b’n’bs. No spoilers from this point on, not that I imagine you’ll see any of ‘Barbarian’s left turns coming – let’s just say that I was surprised to find such a mainstream film, validated by Disney no less, heading at one point for decidedly icky territory. In the end it sticks with the tropes as often as the curve balls, and there’s not much in it that’s truly atypical, but I think the only real fault I’d level its way is that the ending is all a little convenient and a bit of scramble – otherwise, it’s really well done, to the point of near excellence. I hope this one gets a physical release because I’d probably buy it.

WATCHER – From Chloe Okuno. Jaded actor Maika Monroe lands in Bucharest – not speaking Rumanian, she finds herself adrift. The creepy guy who follows her around doesn’t help, and neither do the mutilated bodies that keep turning up near her apartment… ‘Watcher’ is a pretty decent fish-out-of-water thriller that might’ve been just a tad overrated in recent reviews, but its taut atmosphere and brewing paranoia are pretty compelling and well handled. Very different to what you might expect after the grotty lo-fi nineties sewer worship of Okuno’s ‘Storm Drain’ from ‘VHS 94’. Monroe is very good as always and on the whole this is haunting, pacy, and well worth checking out imo.

Have been meaning to check out Barbarian for a while I definitely will now.

[MrBarlow]

Half Moon Street. 1986.

Two great leads with Sigourney Weaver and Michael Caine, one a doctor with a PhD moonlighting as a high end call girl and the other a politician trying to organise a peace treaty. This is certainly not a edge of your seat thriller where one person is played by two sides and doesn't know it. The film did start off well with a good character build up but slowly dwindles out half way through and then picks up towards the end. Not one I'd return to viewing again.

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[MrBarlow]

Mardi Gras Massacre. 1978.

What Da Fook have i just watched...listed on the DDP's video nasties list and prosecuted on the final 39 list...obviously someone didn't like the women wearing very little dancing about or the full frontal nudity...oh wait it may be the cutting up the chest and removing a heart that upset people. Right at the start the two women talking to a bar tender, you know right away the deliverance of the dialogue is going to be naff. We have a guy stalking some certain ladies and sacrificing to a god that I'm not even gonna spell cos no doubt autocorrect will screw it up for me. I know my taste in movies is questionable but this Is a first and last watch for me.

Mardi_Gras_Massacre.jpg

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

Mardi Gras Massacre. 1978.

What Da Fook have i just watched...listed on the DDP's video nasties list and prosecuted on the final 39 list...obviously someone didn't like the women wearing very little dancing about or the full frontal nudity...oh wait it may be the cutting up the chest and removing a heart that upset people. Right at the start the two women talking to a bar tender, you know right away the deliverance of the dialogue is going to be naff. We have a guy stalking some certain ladies and sacrificing to a god that I'm not even gonna spell cos no doubt autocorrect will screw it up for me. I know my taste in movies is questionable but this Is a first and last watch for me.

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Wouldn't be so bad but each 'massacre' scene is the same, just a different girl. I bought the Code Red dvd and am stuck with it. No way would i waste money on the 88 Films Blu-ray.

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Wouldn't be so bad but each 'massacre' scene is the same, just a different girl. I bought the Code Red dvd and am stuck with it. No way would i waste money on the 88 Films Blu-ray.

Oh nasty Dem, I didn't buy the 88 film release I decided to try and stream this and even still pondering why I did it

[Nordicdusk]

Mission Impossible Rouge Nation

Ethan Hunt and the lads are back on another Impossible Mission with plenty of two facery back stabery Car Chasery and boat loads of other erys

This was my favourite so far so much exciting action stunts and plenty of car and motorcycle chases and the comedy moments worked much better here than in Ghost Protocol I thought Simon Pegg really came into his own this time around and it was great to see Ving Rhames properly back rather than a cameo always a fan of him he delivers seriousness and comedy so well while managing to look very serious at all times . An other plus for Rouge Nation has to be Rebecca Ferguson my favourite female protagonist by a mile so far in the series she isn't there as eye candy or just pouting in every scene like the previous female roles no this lady is kicking everyone's ass look forward to see what she brings to Fallout.

Rouge Nation is blast and watching Lord Cruise hanging off the side of a moving plane finve minutes in sets the tone for the wild ride ahead of us.

[MrBarlow]

The Exterminator. 1980.

Another tough gritty film, Robert Ginty plays John Eastman a ex Vietnam Vet who goes about his ordinary life working and his friend is beaten and left paralysed. John takes it up upon himself to become a vigilante in New York.

This is more than just hunting the bad guys down and shooting them, although we don't see it but you can tell he plans things out by using fire or a meat grinder. Christopher George plays the no nonsense detective assigned to track down the vigilante and somehow manages to strike up a relationship with nurse Samantha Eggar. The film does have one strong gore scene which is a beheading at the start in the Vietnam sequence, certainly still enjoyable to return to every so often.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Sleeping Beauty (2011)

The one and only film from Australian novelist Julia Leigh is a perverse exercise in Lynchian weirdness.

It stars Emily Browning, in a totally uninhibited and extremely brave role, as struggling student Lucy who answers a newspaper ad for what she thinks will be silver service waitressing to rich old clients, which it is, but it's also a gateway to another all the more kinky role where in exchange for money she is drugged to the point of oblivion, stripped naked and put in bed whilst a succession of said rich old men spend the night with her doing whatever they want other than penetration.

Lucy has no knowledge regarding these lost hours and has no idea what happens to her until her curiosity gets the better of her and she films a session with a tiny camera.

What happens during the sessions is creepy as hell, not to mention disturbing and extremely haunting with images that will stay with you long after the film has finished. As with the title there's a definite fairy tale quality to Sleeping Beauty albeit one that's provocative, clinical, enigmatic and thoroughly absorbing. Thank God this was made by a woman because the backlash would have been tremendous.

I thought this was excellent first time round. I still do.