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Post by Bernard Marx on Jul 15, 2021 11:34:16 GMT
I might write individual reviews at a later date, but I've watched plenty of films in my collection of late, all in order. Started with Ben-Hur in 1959 and am now on 1977. The most recent films I watched were "Mirror" (the Tarkovsky film- probably the most abstract and least plot-driven avant-garde film I've ever seen, as well made as it is), Barry Lyndon, Jaws, The Omen, Carrie, and The Pink Panther Strikes Again. Enjoyed the whole lot of them. I'll be opting for the 1977 anti-war film "The Ascent" next, which I've still yet to see.
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Post by iank on Jul 15, 2021 20:58:19 GMT
I saw that Pink Panther a while back, it was good fun.  |
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Post by iank on Jul 15, 2021 21:08:16 GMT
In The Eye of the Hurricane. A woman leaves her husband for a new man, intending to divorce him, but not long after she's moved in with her new beau, she suffers two near-fatal "accidents" and begins to suspect someone may be trying to kill either her or her new man. This early 70s Italian flick was pretty good. I didn't think I was going to like it at first, as it starts off a bit slow, but once it gets going it turns into an engagingly twisty-turny thriller where you're never quite sure who's really doing what to who. Entertaining.
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Post by Bernard Marx on Jul 15, 2021 21:48:08 GMT
I saw that Pink Panther a while back, it was good fun. It's probably the funniest of the lot. Not necessarily the best, but easily the one I pissed myself laughing at most as a kid (and now). |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2021 11:46:29 GMT
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) The lovely Heather Langenkamp stars in this famous and imaginative slasher. It's obviously a great film with superb direction and a cracking story. The appearance of Freddy himself is very striking while the death scenes of the characters are memorable and over the top. I confess to not actually watching any of the sequels. I know that Heather returns as Nancy in the third movie, but I hear the second film isn't all that. Then again, I'll give them all a try as I usually like films that others don't. ''I hear the second film isn't all that''. I dunno. I'd say it makes a good drinking game every time the main protagonist Jesse squeals like a little girl. This piece of music really stuck out for me from the first film. 1:13 onwards is sublime I'll give the sequels a go next week. III seems the most appealing as it has Nancy. I hear she's dies though which sucks. |
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Post by iank on Jul 20, 2021 21:25:06 GMT
Night of the Creeps. 30 years after an alien landing, an infested corpse held in cryogenic suspension is accidentally let loose and zombie-creating alien parasites are soon on the prowil. This mid 80s comedy-horror is something of a cult fave but I wasn't all that impressed to be honest. It's okay, but feels a bit undercooked to me and certainly pales next to the likes of Return of the Living Dead and Night of the Comet IMO.
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Post by iank on Jul 27, 2021 7:52:28 GMT
Nightmare Beach. A mysterious helmeted biker starts killing tourists during spring break in Miami, and the corrupt local officials try to cover it up for... er... reasons. This late 80s horror thriller was pretty poor IMO. John Saxon is good as the bent police chief but the youthful cast are pretty terrible to the point of laughable and there's bugger all in the way of tension. Fairly flat.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2021 8:22:03 GMT
Nightmare Beach. A mysterious helmeted biker starts killing tourists during spring break in Miami, and the corrupt local officials try to cover it up for... er... reasons. This late 80s horror thriller was pretty poor IMO. John Saxon is good as the bent police chief but the youthful cast are pretty terrible to the point of laughable and there's bugger all in the way of tension. Fairly flat. Shame. I really enjoyed that film when I watched it earlier this year. I remember the soundtrack being quite good too. |
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Post by iank on Aug 1, 2021 21:35:25 GMT
Ravenous. A stranger arrives at a remote military outpost in the US in the 19th century, bringing murder and cannibalism along with him. This late 90s horror has a great cast including Guy Pearce, Robert Carlisle, Jeffrey Jones and David Arquette and is an entertaining mix of horror and very dark humour, with an interesting treatment of cannibalism almost as a plague of vampirism. One taste and there's no going back... I haven't seen this for nigh on 20 years and it's still pretty fun.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2021 23:13:31 GMT
Ravenous. A stranger arrives at a remote military outpost in the US in the 19th century, bringing murder and cannibalism along with him. This late 90s horror has a great cast including Guy Pearce, Robert Carlisle, Jeffrey Jones and David Arquette and is an entertaining mix of horror and very dark humour, with an interesting treatment of cannibalism almost as a plague of vampirism. One taste and there's no going back... I haven't seen this for nigh on 20 years and it's still pretty fun. I came across this film a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised. It’s one of those little gems of cinema that, while not outstanding, is competently directed, acted and had a solid production which all leads itself to a very enjoyable film. As for the cannibalism, this film is technically a film about Wendigo, a cannibalistic spirit of Native American folklore. Wendigo are a bit of an oddity when it comes to adapting them to film, in fact they vary wildly from appearance to appearance. Sometimes they are treated like werewolves or yeti but this sells them very short. A wendigo is an evil spirit that possesses a person who eats the flesh of another human, a massive taboo in the Native American culture. They are in nature like a vampire, but with a far more primal nature. In the legends they are tall and thin, with long claws, no toes (as they are lost to frost bite) and no lips for they have chewed them off. They embody hunger, greed and disease. They only desire the flesh if their fellow man and to bring ruin on anyone who they come across. Power wise they are stronger then a mortal man, faster then eye can see and possess a touch that can cause frost bite. Yet do not think them a mindless beast for Wendigo possess the intelligence they had in their former life. They can mimic voices and set traps. Worse though is that as they get older and feed often they gain shaman like powers allowing them to control the weather and animals, and place cursed. They also continue to grow as they feed, and an old Wendigo can tower over the trees of the forest. It’s also said that their bites and even just their presence can bring on Wendigo Fever, the desire to eat human flesh. Ravenous as you know, throws out more of the monstrous aspects, making the Wendigo more like a cannibalistic vampire, though it keeps the idea that the act of cannibalism itself is the cause. The closest I’ve ever seen to the original legend was in Supernatural’s first season, though again it goes not include every possible aspect of the old legends. Another famous work to involve the Wendigo is Pet Semetery, for in the novel it is explained that the reason the burial ground is now sower is because it was touched by the Wendigo. A trend to come about in recent years is to depict the Wendigo with more deer or elk like features. Sometimes it’s just a pair of antlers, sometimes they look like wereDeer. I can only assume it’s done to try and give them a more distinct look to monsters like the more monstrous vampires, werewolves, Sasquatch, goblins and ghouls. If anyones interested other Wendigo film include Frost Biters, which is basically a ripoff of Evil Dead, Wendigo, a very weird movie from 2001, and coming out this year Antlers, a film produced by Guillermo del Toro. The overrated video game Until Dawn featured Wendigo and in Marvel Comic the Wendigo is an old enemy of the Hulk. In fact Wolverine first appeared in a three way battle involving the two. Marvel’s Wendigo is a pretty powerful monster and in the old days was one the few creatures capable of fighting the hulk to a draw, with old green skin only winning when he had help. |
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Post by zarius on Aug 7, 2021 16:43:14 GMT
James Gunn's Suicide Squad was a welcome surprise...first Margot Robbie movie in the role of Harley Quinn that's actually worth watching. Balls-to-the-wall action throughout with a good jukebox soundtrack and lovable misfit characters. Only real downside is the two female leads have plot armour throughout, the stakes are raised and peak in the first ten minutes and don't pick up again until act three, and I wonder just what Capaldi was even doing here as his role could have went to anyone else.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2021 15:33:10 GMT
Batman (1989)
I've just fallen back in the love with this film in a big way. Absolutely smashing film with great performances, an excellent score, astonishing set design and spectacular visual effects. It's all very impressive even today. Also, Kim Basinger is a hot piece of ass. I'm hoping I enjoy Batman Returns when I get round to watching that again.
9/10
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2021 20:55:48 GMT
The Neverending Story (1984)
Terrific fantasy adventure. The story deals with themes such as depression and also existentialism. It's very mature and very well made for the time. The visual effects are perhaps a bit mixed, but most of the time they look pretty good. It's probably one of the best fantasy films I've seen and one of the most thought-provoking flicks of the 1980s. Got to love that 80s music!
8.5/10
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2021 22:15:52 GMT
Neverending Story II: the next chapter (1990)
A mixed bag really. Some stunning cinematography and great set design, but the story isn't as involving as the original's plot. The music and performance aren't as good either. None of the replacement actors match the original ones and Fantasia feels a bit off and a lot less magical. However, the film is moderately entertaining thanks to Clarissa Burt as Xayide. She's hot and she's having a lot of fun,which is always good. The film does have some emotional scenes like Atreyu's death and Bastian losing the final memory of his mother. The end credit songs are pretty good too. Overall, not great but not a bad way to spend an hour and a half. I much prefer III over this.
6/10
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Post by Monster X on Aug 21, 2021 5:43:49 GMT
Count Yorga,Vampire (1970) Enjoyable, low-budget horror flick - it originally began life as a soft core vampire porno but was somehow made into a straight horror film, instead. Tacky, a bit slow and silly but with all the early '70s sleaze and charm you'd expect. Robert Quarry as the titular Count makes a good lead blood-sucker, though he's nowhere near as good as Christopher Lee. Next up is the sequel: 'The Return Of Count Yorga'( 1971). As much as I like this film, this glorious poster is by far the best thing about it: 
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