What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demoncrat]

Deadly Reactor (1989, David Heavener)

Lawdy. Poapoc caper. What's a man to do when biker scum threaten your very way of life?
Tool up with Stuart Whitman and start blastin' ahem.
As with all films of this ilk, our man is strong, silent and impervious to small arms
The villian is a large bald man who reminded me of a character from The Wanderers. Ahem.
Now I've seen it all, a Witness ripoff
Give me more.
He churned them out, and the titles all seem like I've seen them on shelves whilst trawling for other third tier tat, so the hunt is on

[Frankie Teardrop]

SICK OF MYSELF – Self-absorbed Signe can’t stand it when she isn’t the centre of attention , and the lengths she’ll go to get what she needs form the basis of this black comedy. There are echoes of the Aubrey Plaza film ‘Ingrid Goes West’ in its lead character’s remorseless pursuit of the media, but SOM casts a wider net, turning to body horror when Signe decides that the only way she can keep the world’s eyes on her is through the disfiguring side effects of dodgy pharmaceuticals. This makes for a few effective scenes, including one where the comedic escalation of a haemorrhagic fashion shoot is offset by eerie statues that loom like sentinels in the background. The humour is well observed, most of it stemming from the excruciating pettiness exhibited by this kind of ego; the drive to compete and undermine at all costs often seems hilarious when we’re not part of the horror show. But schadenfreude cuts both ways when it comes to narcissism. SOM occasionally feels quite smug, and I detect that its chops are set in a kind of leer – isn’t that the basic default of the egotist right there, though? The fact that SOM seems a bit cruel reminds us of how keenly we feel the approach of our own downfall in some form or other, making us all mini-Signes whether we like it or not.

THE BROKEN – Lena Headey plays a radiologist who thinks she sees her double, driving down a street in London. She goes on to suffer an RTA and afterwards starts to question whether her life is being usurped by doppelgangers. ‘The Broken’ benefits from a strong visual identity, which feels like it’s constantly dragging everything in the film towards a perpetual grey twilight. We’ve all seen this kind of muted palette thing countless times before, but it’s done really well here. Little snippets of the everyday seem ominous and charged; the ceiling drips in a silent bathroom like a countdown to nothingness, and a flannel drapes a bather’s face as if they’re in a morgue. A soundtrack full of muffled drones adds to the murk. In contrast, some of the overly dramatic music cues and edits early in the film risk undermining all the lovely creepy subtlety, but maybe that’s just personal taste. ‘The Broken’, in case you hadn’t guessed, is an atmospheric slow burn that might put thrill-seekers off (although there’s a surprisingly brutal bit of bathroom gore at one point). What I found interesting about it was the way it didn’t quite resolve in the expected (psychological, traumatic) direction that seemed set up near the start. There are a few missteps, but I recommend this to anyone who likes a simmering creep-out, and it seems like one of those many flicks that ‘got away’ during the noughties era of horror.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

THE BROKEN – Lena Headey plays a radiologist who thinks she sees her double, driving down a street in London. She goes on to suffer an RTA and afterwards starts to question whether her life is being usurped by doppelgangers. ‘The Broken’ benefits from a strong visual identity, which feels like it’s constantly dragging everything in the film towards a perpetual grey twilight. We’ve all seen this kind of muted palette thing countless times before, but it’s done really well here. Little snippets of the everyday seem ominous and charged; the ceiling drips in a silent bathroom like a countdown to nothingness, and a flannel drapes a bather’s face as if they’re in a morgue. A soundtrack full of muffled drones adds to the murk. In contrast, some of the overly dramatic music cues and edits early in the film risk undermining all the lovely creepy subtlety, but maybe that’s just personal taste. ‘The Broken’, in case you hadn’t guessed, is an atmospheric slow burn that might put thrill-seekers off (although there’s a surprisingly brutal bit of bathroom gore at one point). What I found interesting about it was the way it didn’t quite resolve in the expected (psychological, traumatic) direction that seemed set up near the start. There are a few missteps, but I recommend this to anyone who likes a simmering creep-out, and it seems like one of those many flicks that ‘got away’ during the noughties era of horror.

I didn't get on with this at all the only time i watched it many years ago. I must have been a thrill seeker at the time, indeed i probably was as it came out in the midst of a great time for British horror , and also the French wave of extreme terror, but this simply fell flat i thought.

Great poster art as well. Should i come across it i'll pick it up if it's cheap enough seeing as i no longer own my original dvd.

[nicholasrope]

Getting Even With Dad

Ted Danson and friends steal some valuable coins but his estranged Son played by Macaulay Culkin hides them and forces them into doing various activities before revealing their location. It's a fun little Movie from the early 90's.

80 For Brady

4 elderly Women played by Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno are huge Tom Brady fans go to the Superbowl and partake in various activities such as Hot Wing Eating Competitions and Poker Games. Based on a True Story, it's a fine effort with some good performances.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Body of Lies (2008)

Ridley Scott's inventive spy thriller for the modern age sees Leonardo DiCaprio as a CIA agent on the ground in the Middle East as Russell Crowe, his agency handler, observes all via an eye in the sky satellite link coming up with a variety of strategies to gain the upper hand in the 'War on Terror' following a wave of terrorist attacks across Europe.

A film which shows that trust or indeed mistrust is as valuable a commodity as information especially when it comes to DiCaprio's strained relationship with Jordanian intelligence chief Mark Strong. Also at the heart of the film is a blossoming relationship between DiCaprio and a nurse he meets whilst receiving an injection for a dog bite, as played by the delightful Golshifteh Farahani. It's a plot strand that allows you to invest in the characters and not simply see them as disposable pawns of modern surveillance technology.

DiCaprio, Strong and Crowe as well as director Scott lift this well above a typical spy or espionage movie and it feels like a Cold War thriller for the 2010's, grounded in a scary reality, albeit with some terrific action set pieces.

I was a bit underwhelmed the first time i saw this but enjoyed it and gained much more from it this time.

If the World, a song from Guns N' Roses underrated Chinese Democracy album plays as the credits roll. I'd totally forgotten about that on this second watch and first watch on Blu-ray. The same goes for the Mike Patton sung track that followed.

[Demoncrat]

Gordon's War (1973 Ossie Davis)

Paul Winfield returns home from 'nam, finds it lacking, sets about sorting things out. And how.
Whilst it's not the showiest of movies, it gets the job done, even if credulity is stretched a tad more than once.
Somewhat more sombre than its immediate brethren, this was still worth a look, especially considering the director ahem.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

Gordon's War (1973 Ossie Davis)

Paul Winfield returns home from 'nam, finds it lacking, sets about sorting things out. And how.
Whilst it's not the showiest of movies, it gets the job done, even if credulity is stretched a tad more than once.
Somewhat more sombre than its immediate brethren, this was still worth a look, especially considering the director ahem.

What's lacking? Does he miss the Playboy Bunnies and fly some in for his own show or does he go all Van Damme on the local town bully. Perhaps he simply misses collecting Vietcong ears and rectifies that in his own sadistic way...

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Octopussy (1983)

One of the less celebrated of the Bond outings but i think it has a lot going for it.

Yes there are some dumb one liners and the 'James' exclamation from Octopussy as the credits roll is embarrassing whilst the whole elephant chase with several amusing scenes at the time - "Sit!" being one - that fall completely flat now because they were references so of their time that nobody under the age of forty today will have a clue about.

However once we get out of India and into East Germany the film and pace really cranks up several gears in what is, at least for me, a terrific second hour with a gripping race against time to diffuse a nuclear bomb, an entertaining assault on a palace and a great set piece on a light aircraft 10,000 feet in the sky to finish.

[Demoncrat]

The Evictors (1979, Charles B. Pierce)

From the man who brought us The Legend Of Boggy Creek.

This one's set in the 40s! Everyone wears hats! Starring a few familiar faces, this tale of home ownership (recurring theme recently ... hmmm) at all costs is on the face of it, a tad predictable, but the last stretch did make me sit up. Needs a rewatch, but this was an odd wee thing overall ahem. No hairy arms this time!!!

[Demoncrat]

Talk To Me (2022)

Was recommended this. Hmmm.
To take the basic premise of this flick seriously is asking for a lot of that old suspension of disbelief ahem.
When a group of friends decide on a rather particular party game, the odds stack up almost immediately against them. Hmmm.
A lot of whispered dialogue meant I had to rewind certain scenes to no avail ahem.
Hmmm.