What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Nordicdusk]

lI7dsNWL8Ue5n5dB5dAdQhTktPe.jpg

Richard returns to the small grim depressing town he grow up in after several years in the army to settle a score with a local drug gang who took his mentally challenged brother under their wing whole he was away but this wasn't a friendship of protection they used his as the butt of their jokes with plenty of physical and mental abuse inflicted upon him.

Coming off the last film I watched The Stranger I didn't exactly choose wisely in the fun stakes just more doom and gloom. This is a pretty tough watch at times the flash backs are quite disturbing watching the abuse the youngman is subjected to. The revenge is pretty sweet and satisfying but I found myself relating to the situations quite a bit as in the type of people and the type of dirty dingey flats because in my younger days I would be around these types of places and it made my skin crawl reliving those times watching this. Luckily for me that was a two year period of my life when I was 19 to 21 and I quickly moved away from that where most of those people are still doing it now.

Anyway I was really enjoying Dead Man's Shoes maybe until 3/4 of the way through and then there is a scene and it completely changed the whole film the whole meaning of this film and my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach was quite the guy punch one I haven't felt while watching a film for a long time.

Dead Man's Shoes is a very impactful film it's a hard watch its a nasty and depressing film it makes you feel sick. It's a really good film but not one I'd watch anytime soon maybe not watch it ever again honestly.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Black Cat (1981)

Italian horror maestro Lucio Fulci's Gothic style horror is a contemporary thriller set in a quaint English village. Loosely based on the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name in a tale thick with foggy atmosphere as well as lurid gore in this film that improves with repeated viewings

The story is odd - something about recordings taken by loopy Patrick Magee which inhabit the mind of his black moggy which in turn possesses Magee and forces him to murder, or is it simply the cat all along? It's hard to say as Fulci and coherence by this stage were words that often did not fit together. That shouldn't take anything away from the film though as it's pacy and offbeat enough to keep you involved and the murders are frequent as the story leads up to a nice twist ending that is also used by Poe's original story.

Along with Magee we have a good international cast with New Zealander David Warbeck as the investigating policeman who together with American Mimsy Farmer make a likable duo, German Dagmar Lassander and Al Cliver making sure there's an Italian presence.

The village of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, makes for a splendid location. It's so beautifully English in that oh so quaint sort of way and numerous projects have been filmed there over the years but none have perhaps utilised it as well as Fulci and his crew.

So whilst The Black Cat isn't considered classic Fulci (Although i prefer it to so called classics such as House by the Cemetery) it's a film i always really enjoy.

Arrow's Blu-ray gives the film a new lease of life and brings out summery Hambledon in all it's delightful glory.

[Demoncrat]

The Field Guide To Evil (2018, Various)

Portmanteau caper.
Mostly folk horror-ish tales in this one, some are longer than others. Really only watched this to see the Strickland short, and that was the finale . Flawed as twas, I still recommend this over Enys Men ahem.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

The Field Guide To Evil (2018, Various)

Portmanteau caper.
Mostly folk horror-ish tales in this one, some are longer than others. Really only watched this to see the Strickland short, and that was the finale . Flawed as twas, I still recommend this over Enys Men ahem.

I thought you like Enys Men.

[SymbioticFunction]

Picked up a second hand blu-ray of Ben Stiller's (2013 released) Secret Life of Walter Mitty for a couple of quid. My wife and I really liked it. Interestingly despite the generous budget, it still felt very much like an "indie" film in it's execution and vibe. Cinematography was excellent and the film was very entertaining throughout. Also one of those films where I'm not sure what will happen next which will always get my vote. Would recommend if you still haven't seen it.

[SymbioticFunction]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Memento (2000)
I'm tempted to watch this in chronological order (It's an Easter egg on the Blu-ray) but also don't think there's actually enough story for it to play out as a normal movie.

Don't do it, weirdly it hurts the movie. I regretted it afterwards. Luckily it's been so long ago that I've mostly forgotten it by now.

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I thought you like Enys Men.

I did, but this had something for everyone ahem.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by SymbioticFunction

Don't do it, weirdly it hurts the movie. I regretted it afterwards. Luckily it's been so long ago that I've mostly forgotten it by now.

I can totally understand it hurting the movie. The enjoyment in this film is not knowing.

[MrBarlow]

Serial Mom. 1994.

Kathleen Turner plays Beverly, who has the perfect husband and two loving teens and a dark killing streak that she hides from everyone.

Writer/director John Waters takes on a dark comedy that I saw years ago and forgot about it, now after a re-watch my sides are still sore with laughter. Sam Waterstone plays the loving dental husband who thinks his wife is going through some changes in life while kids Matthew Lillard and Ricki Lake come to realise that their mother is a killer. Their is a good gory killing scene that Kathleen and John Waters manage to create and turn it round so it can be hilarious. This is certainly a watch.

p15527_p_v8_ac.jpg

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Hellbound (1993)

A rare time Chuck Norris karate kicks his way through a horror film. In all honesty this is very run of the mill. There's not much of the usual Norris fighting in this film which takes place in both Chicago and Israel.

Norris has good chemistry with fellow cop and sidekick Calvin Levels whilst Christopher Neame devours scenery in his villainous role as the emissary of Satan, but there's nothing here that's particularly surprising or indeed interesting.

Functional at best.