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Post by burrunjor on Jul 4, 2024 19:44:55 GMT
I actually like Golden Vampires a lot more than Satanic Rites - introducing the lore of the Chinese vampires was a really great idea and they could've gone more international if they'd done further sequels. It was probably the most original follow-up. Satanic Rites is just kinda throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks, with very sluggish pacing. I also can't help but suspect that Houghton initially wrote it as a Pertwee serial... Dracula: Prince of Darkness is my favourite Lee era film though. It's the simplest and most atmospheric. The only thing missing is Cushing (and maybe some dialogue for Lee) Exploring Chinese vampire myths was a fantastic idea and the way that Golden Vampires blended them together was inspired as was merging vampire and kung fu. It kicked off an entire genre of Chinese vampire films in Hong Kong that would endure through the 80s and 90s and is strongly recommended. Best ones are Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind Mr Vampire Mr Vampire 2 Mr Vampire 3 Vampire vs Vampire Magic Cop Spooky Encounters The Dead and the Deadly The Bride with White Hair 1 The Bride with White Hair 2 New Mr Vampire A Chinese Ghost Story 1 and 2 Zu Warriors of the Magic Mountain All classic films. It's also worth mentioning that the kung fu vampire genre that Golden Vampires kicked off carried into western vampire fiction too with Buffy, Angel and Blade being prime examples. Having said all that however, Satanic Rites is the better film in every way apart from maybe in terms of direction. Not that Satanic Rites is badly directed, but there are some spectacular shots in Legend like the vampire army emerging through the darkness. Still Satanic Rites plot is more logical and flows a lot more easily. Legend suffers from being very simplistic (it's basically just they head to a village and that's that. Nothing else, no obstacles, no twists and they kill the vampires in a way that doesn't require anything else than just stabbing them which makes you wonder why the villagers didn't. (The Dracula films at least acknowledged that by having him hid his coffin during the day and summon up animals against them.) At the same time however Legends also has tremendous plot holes, incredibly enough despite being simplistic. We have the opening date problem where Dracula left for China in 1800 to enact his vengeance upon mankind, yet he has done basically nothing in China for 100 years (as the rest of the movie is set in 1900.) Also when exactly did he fight Van Helsing if he has been in China for 100 years? Also why does he need to assume the form of this Chinese monk? He changes back at the end with no problem? Then there is the laughable way he is killed in the end, plus he doesn't really have any baring on the plot at all. The other characters don't even know he was there. I think it would be quite funny if Van Helsing's son came in after and was like "sorry dad did you say something." And Van Helsing was like "Oh no, I just killed Dracula again, come on let's go." LOL. Also I find Legend isn't as well paced. It has an absolutely sensational first 20 or so minutes until the end of the flashback where the farmer is killed, but after that it is quite slow for the next 20 mins. Meanwhile the supporting cast aren't up to much. There is potential in the Chinese babe who almost becomes the first kickass onscreen female vampire killer, but it goes nowhere. Satanic Rites meanwhile is better paced with an intriguing mystery that builds up right the way through and keeps your interest even when the vampires aren't on screen, it also builds on the previous films by having Dracula reach the end of his tether, but fittingly he won't go quietly into the night hence the apocalyptic plan, and Lee and Cushing's showdowns are a lot more memorable. The supporting cast are also more interesting with Inspector Murray being a good Brig stand in, Joanna Lumley though still limited by the script having more of an obvious presence and Freddie Jones giving a very memorable performance as someone under Dracula's will. It also has a lot more memorable moments of genuine horror like Dracula's plague too. Satanic Rites was also finally just as ahead of its time in some ways as Legend. The way it used Dracula was inspired. The idea of an evil supernatural creature integrating into the modern world, becoming the head of a company, and using its wealth and influence to hide in plain sight, cover up its killings, and use technology from the modern world to make itself stronger is something that we see in Buffy with the Mayor, Blade with the Vampire Nation, Angel with Russell Winters and Wolfram and Hart, Supernatural MANY times, Herrick in Being Human, even The Witches with the Grand High Witch being the head of a charity. Also it served as quite a powerful metaphor for people in power using their connections and wealth to cover up their crimes too. Also the idea of an ancient evil wanting to bring the apocalypse about in modern times, and it being a group of vampire hunters who are the latest in a long lineage of vampire hunters through the years who have to stop it is the plot for so many season finale's of Buffy, Angel, Supernatural etc. It's criminally underrated and annoying that people don't mention that about the film. To be clear I do still like Legend. It is overall enjoyable and the vampires are among the best, but yeah Satanic Rites is the best of the Hammer sequels to be honest. |
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Post by Ludders II on Jul 4, 2024 19:47:00 GMT
Pleased you thought this version was OK at least. I rated it pretty highly. Palance is far better than I expected him to be, having only seen him in war movies and westerns before this. He's quite ferocious! The Coppola film definitely leaned heavily on this version for the romance stuff, but this version underplays it quite considerably, whereas the Coppola film it's virtually the whole movie by comparison. I need to watch the Palance version again sometime. It's been years. Really it's only problem is that it just doesn't bring anything new to a story that has been done so many times. That's it. Everything else worked brilliantly. As far as comparing it with horror movies of the time goes then it is far above average, but when compared with other definitive Dracula's like the original Lee or Lugosi films then it is fairly run of the mill. Still that said not every movie that does something new is automatically a classic. The last three Hammer Dracula's, Dracula AD 1972, Satanic Rites of Dracula and Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires are among the most creative, original, fresh and ahead of their time vampire movies ever made. Seriously, so many of the ideas these movies did first would become staples of later vampire things like Buffy/Angel/Blade/Being Human and inspire entire subgenres of vampire fiction like the Hong Kong vampire craze. However all three are generally not highly regarded because the execution is very cheesy and schlocky, though I actually think Satanic Rites is a good film overall and is unfairly bashed, but yeah Golden Vampires has a very thin story, and can come over as just another Bruceploitation movie, whilst Dracula AD as much as I find it incredibly enjoyable, is very schlocky LOL. Johnny Alucard's death scene is f*cking hysterical. "YOUUUUUU'''LLLL NEEEEEVVVVEEEERRRR FIIIIIINNNNNDDD HEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRR". As he dies in a shower hahaha. There's no denying that the Palance Dracula is better made than any of them (apart from Satanic Rites) but again it's overall I think surprisingly more of a minor chapter in the Dracula legacy, (though it did lead to the romance angle in the Coppola film, but again I'm not a fan of that movie.) In its defence, it's basically an adaptation of the original novel, whereas technically the Hammer sequels aren't. Technically, only the first Hammer Dracula is an adaptation of the movie,even though it takes a lot of liberties. The sequels use the same lore, but strictly speaking they are moving beyond the novel and are independent. The Palance film is a treatment of the novel. Yes it ramps up the romance angle, (although not nearly as much as the Coppola film) but it's essentially using content from the novel, even though it's recontextualising some elements. |
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Post by iank on Jul 4, 2024 21:20:36 GMT
Satanic Rites was the first one I saw and which convinced me to give the Hammers and Amicuses a try! It was a really shitty copy on a multipack DVD set that looked like a VHS rip as well. Still one of my faves and I have the Blu ray now.  |
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Post by burrunjor on Jul 4, 2024 22:08:43 GMT
Satanic Rites was the first one I saw and which convinced me to give the Hammers and Amicuses a try! It was a really shitty copy on a multipack DVD set that looked like a VHS rip as well. Still one of my faves and I have the Blu ray now. Out of interest what is everybody here's favourites out of the Amicus/Hammer movies? I'm going to say. Amicus Vault of Horror Asylum House That Dripped Blood Monster Club (I think it reaches greater highs than Asylum and House and even Vault of Horror with the Ghoul Town being the absolute greatest story of them all, but ultimately it's not as consistent overall. The mid story is fairly lackluster if funny, and the pop songs get distracting.) Tales from The Crypt Doctor Terror Torture Garden All fantastic. Non anthology And Now The Screaming Starts Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD Doctor Who and the Daleks Hammer Dracula's Horror of Dracula Satanic Rites of Dracula Taste the Blood of Dracula Dracula Prince of Darkness The Brides of Dracula Dracula AD (the others are probably better films but what the hell I love it.) Legend of 7 Golden Vampires Scars of Dracula Dracula Has Rise From The Grave Just to be clear they are all great. Frankenstein Curse of Frankenstein Frankenstein Created Women (despite its naff title it is an amazing film.) Revenge of Frankenstein Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell Evil of Frankenstein Horror of Frankenstein. Sadly unlike the Dracula's I don't think all of these are good. Evil and Horror are both pretty poor, and Must Be Destroyed is let down by that awful rape scene. ] Others Hammers? One Million Years BC Vampire Circus The Mummy Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter The Curse of the Werewolf (this has the best opening, but it tails off just a little bit in the middle.) Twins of Evil Hound of The Baskervilles. Quatermass and the Pit When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth Again all classics. Crap Vampire Lovers Evil of Frankenstein Horror of Frankenstein Lust For A Vampire (the absolute worst hammer horror of them all. Even the name is stupid, it sounds like a parody of a hammer vampire film.) Overrated as f*ck. Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde. The Devil Rides Out Neither are bad films, and have some stunning sequences like the Angel of Death and the giant spider from Devil Rides Out, but I don't think they are as good as people say and it does annoy me the way Hammer fandom will go nuts over Sister Hyde for being so ahead of its time with the gender bending, and not give Satanic Rites and Legend credit for being ahead of their time. (Honestly I think those two movies were more ahead of their time to be honest. Sister Hyde wasn't making a statement about transgenderism despite what they said. It was a gimmick and an excuse to get a look at Martine Beswick's tits which I'm not complaining about LOL, but it was a bit more trashy.) Devil Rides Out meanwhile I think goes too far on the Christian imagery and I never liked its ending. |
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Post by Ludders II on Jul 4, 2024 22:23:42 GMT
Satanic Rites was the first one I saw and which convinced me to give the Hammers and Amicuses a try! It was a really shitty copy on a multipack DVD set that looked like a VHS rip as well. Still one of my faves and I have the Blu ray now. Out of interest what is everybody here's favourites out of the Amicus/Hammer movies? I'm going to say. Amicus Vault of Horror Asylum House That Dripped Blood Monster Club (I think it reaches greater highs than Asylum and House and even Vault of Horror with the Ghoul Town being the absolute greatest story of them all, but ultimately it's not as consistent overall. The mid story is fairly lackluster if funny, and the pop songs get distracting.) Tales from The Crypt Doctor Terror Torture Garden All fantastic. Non anthology And Now The Screaming Starts Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD Doctor Who and the Daleks Hammer Dracula's Horror of Dracula Satanic Rites of Dracula Taste the Blood of Dracula Dracula Prince of Darkness The Brides of Dracula Dracula AD (the others are probably better films but what the hell I love it.) Legend of 7 Golden Vampires Scars of Dracula Dracula Has Rise From The Grave Just to be clear they are all great. Frankenstein Curse of Frankenstein Frankenstein Created Women (despite its naff title it is an amazing film.) Revenge of Frankenstein Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell Evil of Frankenstein Horror of Frankenstein. Sadly unlike the Dracula's I don't think all of these are good. Evil and Horror are both pretty poor, and Must Be Destroyed is let down by that awful rape scene. ] Others Hammers? One Million Years BC Vampire Circus The Mummy Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter The Curse of the Werewolf (this has the best opening, but it tails off just a little bit in the middle.) Twins of Evil Hound of The Baskervilles. Quatermass and the Pit When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth Again all classics. Crap Vampire Lovers Evil of Frankenstein Horror of Frankenstein Lust For A Vampire (the absolute worst hammer horror of them all. Even the name is stupid, it sounds like a parody of a hammer vampire film.) Overrated as f*ck. Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde. The Devil Rides Out Neither are bad films, and have some stunning sequences like the Angel of Death and the giant spider from Devil Rides Out, but I don't think they are as good as people say and it does annoy me the way Hammer fandom will go nuts over Sister Hyde for being so ahead of its time with the gender bending, and not give Satanic Rites and Legend credit for being ahead of their time. (Honestly I think those two movies were more ahead of their time to be honest. Sister Hyde wasn't making a statement about transgenderism despite what they said. It was a gimmick and an excuse to get a look at Martine Beswick's tits which I'm not complaining about LOL, but it was a bit more trashy.) Devil Rides Out meanwhile I think goes too far on the Christian imagery and I never liked its ending. I'll answer this later, but Hammer/Amicus or Classic Horror, needs a dedicated thread. |
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Jul 12, 2024 14:21:22 GMT
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
When his adopted niece gets kidnapped and made to work as a sex slave in Mexico, Rambo throws away his pills and vows to save her and take down the cartel.
Watched this in the cinema back in 2019. I remember the ticket guy checking my age (those were the days). I've flip flopped on it so many times since then, but I rather liked it last night. It's a bit rough looking, but it works as a lower budget Taken-style thriller. Stallone's niece is very beautiful too, something I thought at the time. I find it satisfying when Rambo (spoiler) avenges her death in the most brutal way possible. The Rambo sequels are largely messy affairs, but this one I think is the most entertaining.
7/10.
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Jul 12, 2024 14:25:13 GMT
I bought the fourth Expendables on Blu ray despite thinking it was a bit naff when I saw it at the cinema. £8 for a newish film and the gorgeous Megan Fox in glorious HD was enough to sway me. Might give it a watch this weekend.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2024 21:48:45 GMT
BloodSisters: Leather, Dykes, and Sadomasochism
Documentary about a niche subject matter from days of yore. What's not to love?
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Jul 12, 2024 23:52:26 GMT
You could make the most boring film on the planet, but if it has Lesbians in it I'll watch it. I like girls who like girls who in turn like other girls  |
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Jul 20, 2024 21:06:01 GMT
Man of Steel (2013)
Watched this ten years after I first watched it. Sadly, I'm still not a fan of it. I actually thought The Batman was better. Snyder's scatterbrain structure, the washed out cinematography and the lack of chemistry between actors make this a tough watch. On the plus side, Amy Adams is an awesome Lois and the sexiest actress to portray her by far. I said a few weeks back that she's the best thing about the movie and I stand by it. Unfortunately her hotness doesn't quite make the film tolerable, but it did help me get me through it.
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Post by rushy on Jul 21, 2024 16:28:46 GMT
Amy Adams is an awesome Lois and the sexiest actress to portray her by far. I can't help but remind you that Erica Durance's Lois exists...  |
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Jul 21, 2024 18:05:19 GMT
Amy Adams is an awesome Lois and the sexiest actress to portray her by far. I can't help but remind you that Erica Durance's Lois exists... I clearly stand corrected |
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Jul 21, 2024 21:54:59 GMT
Legionnaire (1998)  Van Damme, Steven Berkoff and Nicholas Farrell star in this surprisingly moving war flick which sees the Muscle from Brussels join the French Foreign Legion after he's driven out of France by a vindictive crime boss. I've always been incredibly impressed with the emotion of this film as well as shocked at the weird dislike people seem to have for it. Not only is it gorgeously directed, but the cast deliver some truly wonderful performances. Farrell's character is my favourite, a confident British man who has a secret Gambling addiction. Even Vam Damme, who is often criticised as being wooden, gives a much more subtle and human performance. I just find this a rich experience and I can't fathom why the film is so universally panned. 8/10 |
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Jul 24, 2024 14:21:29 GMT
Drake & Josh Go Hollywood (2006)
This was sort of a weird holy grail type movie back in 2006 because they never repeated it that often. I was over the moon when I could actually see it. To be honest, it's slightly above average and doesn't really reach the heights of the television show. It's a fun little premise, but we never really get to explore LA in all that great detail since the lads are locked in some dodgy warehouse for most of it. I also don't buy Josh struggling to write an essay on exciting things that have happened to him. There's THREE seasons worth of shit for you to choose from, mate.
Also, I'm not flogging a dead horse but was it a massive surprise to anyone that Dan Schneider got outed? Miranda Cosgrove is thirteen in this but she's put in such revealing outfits that a eighteen year old would wear. I feel like I should be on a list just for watching her scenes.
Anyway, it's a nice little film to revisit and it does deliver on the laughs most of the time. If anything, it gives me that nice mid 00s nostalgia feeling that I sometimes like to wallow in.
7/10
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Jul 24, 2024 21:58:41 GMT
Legionnaire (1998) Van Damme, Steven Berkoff and Nicholas Farrell star in this surprisingly moving war flick which sees the Muscle from Brussels join the French Foreign Legion after he's driven out of France by a vindictive crime boss. I've always been incredibly impressed with the emotion of this film as well as shocked at the weird dislike people seem to have for it. Not only is it gorgeously directed, but the cast deliver some truly wonderful performances. Farrell's character is my favourite, a confident British man who has a secret Gambling addiction. Even Vam Damme, who is often criticised as being wooden, gives a much more subtle and human performance. I just find this a rich experience and I can't fathom why the film is so universally panned. 8/10 I watched this again because I can and I'm still in awe at how beautifully the film is photographed. 5.5 on IMDB is the last straw for me. I'd take this over other Van Damme movies like "Kickboxer" or "Bloodsport" all day long. Personally, the war is over before it even starts. The Legion aren't going to win. It was never about the battles though as wonderfully filmed as they are. The film's greatest strength is in its character development. The sardonic Brit hiding a shameful past, the black American trying to find his place in the world and the boxer whose entire life in France is destroyed by a vengeanceful ganster. Their connections throughout the film are so raw and memorable which makes it all the more painful when each character has a hand in the other's death. |
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